Red Ishbalen Lightning
by videogmegirl
Summary: Aka was almost normal, but when her father is murdered, she teams up with the Elrics to find out why. But how far can she get when they don't know she's an Ishbalan? Or a girl! EdwardXOC
1. Dad's Missing!

hey ed fans! yep, my first fanfic about edward elric, our favorite alchemy bishie! just for the record:

1.i don't own FMA.i wishi did, but sadly,i don't.

2.i DO own Aka! she's my original.i also own a few minor characters as well.

3. Ed is, and will always be, the hottest midget alive.

oh, and real quick: "..." is talking, ... is thoughts, and xxxPOV: is a switch in point of view.

--------Aka's Info--------

Guess we'd better start with the description. Your name is Akari Maron, but your father calls you Aka for short. He also calls you Aka because it means red, and red is the color of your eyes.

Yep, that's right, red eyes. You're an Ishbalan. See, your parents abandoned you while fleeing military pursuit, and you were found by a state alchemist named Hojo Maron.

Hojo is a plant alchemist with black hair and green eyes. He's actually a pretty minor alchemist, so he runs a farm when he's not on duty. After finding you, he raised you on his farm. You didn't remember anything about your religion, so he went ahead and taught you alchemy as well. K, nuff about your dad. Back to you.

Heightwise, you're a little shorter than Ed is, but don't like people telling you so. Kind of like Ed, only instead of yelling you just resolve to hitting. (you have a quick temper) Your hair goes about midway down your back and is a very dark brown. You usually tie it into a ponytail. You're skin is very dark, and your body is kind of curvy. Since you help your father with a lot of farmer work, you're also pretty strong, but not body-builder or anything. For clothes, you usually wear stuff like shorts and tank-tops, and you wear a lot of red. You're always wearing the same kind of shoes though- red boots with black strappings.

At this point, you're fifteen years old. You're not fantastic, but you can still do some pretty sweet alchemy. You and your father are living a pretty normal life in Trezanga. (Don't ask...) But 'normal' will never mean the same to you ever again...

* * *

--------Part One-------- 

You woke up pretty early in the mourning, just like you always did. Yawning, you crawled out of bed and got on your usual getup. As you stumbled down the stairs, you saw that you father wasn't home. You shugged it off though, it wasn't unusual for him to start work before you did. Grabbing a peach off of the counter of your kitchen and walked outside. It was still pretty dark, but on the horizon you could see large thick black clouds approaching.

Uh oh you thought, Better get started before the rain gets here With that, you quickly finished your peach and ran to the barn where an assortment of farming tools were. You were supposed to cut grass today, but you decided it didn't matter. The rain would just make it longer. So you'd jut cut it when the storm was over. Instead, you picked up a bag of seeds that your father had been meaning to plant. You figured that you might as well get them in the ground before the rain came. Swinging a shovel around your head, you walked to an un-planted area of your father's field and started digging. You were about halway done when you heard the crash of loud thunder.

Wow,you thought, The storm came so quickly. It must be a big one You looked back at your work. You'd have to plant the rest later, digging through mud was never a pretty task. Gathering all of your tools, you ran back to your house and dumped them back into the barn. You started to go inside when you stopped suddenly, frowning.

Where was your father? You'd thought that if you just started working he'd show up and help like he always did, but you hadn't seen a sign of him as you were planting. Had he gone to town and forgotten to tell you about it?

No, you thought to yourself, He always remembers, because whenever he goes he tells me to stay hidden

Trezanga was a pretty prejudice town, and your father was afaid that the people might hurt you if they found out that there was an Ishbalan living with him. So whenever your father brought you to town, he always made you wear baggy clothes with bandanas and sunglasses. But you hated doing it, so you didn't go into town that often. You shook your head, clearing your thoughts.

You can ponder baggy clothes later you told youself sternly, Right now you need to find dad With that thought, you went inside and donned your cover-up clothes and headed towards town.

* * *

The sky was continuously getting darker, but the sound of thunder was still a ways off. Crossing through the thick woods that separated the town and you dad's farm, you had plenty of time to think. How were you going to find you dad? The farm was one thing, but you hadn't been into town often enough to know your way around, and you'd never been there without your dad. What if you got lost? What if someone found out you were Ishbalan? You kept 'what if-ing' for quite some time until you came upon the town.

Even on your standards, Trazenga wasn't very big. Only about 40 people actually lived there, and according to your father, most towns had more. A few people stared as you walked along. You ignored them, you didn't want to draw attention.

Looking up, you spotted the blacksmith building where you dad got a lot of tools fixed. The blacksmith and Hojo were pretty good friends, so maybe he knew where your father was. On the inside, the building was large and kind of hot. You could hear the striking of metal and went towards it. Rolan, the blacksmith, was hunched over his latest work with his back facing you. You were impatient about finding your father, but knew that bothering him wouldn't get you any answers. So you leaned against that wall and waited for him to finish.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the hammering stopped. It was now pouring outside, and you could hear the yells of people rushing to find shelter. You cleared your throat loudly and saw Rolan turn around. He looked surprised at first, then sheepish.

"Ehh, hey Aka." (he doesn't know about your eyes, it's just what he's heard your dad call you) "Have you been there long?"

"Only a few minutes." you told him, but you weren't quite sure. The storm was pretty fast...

"Mind if I ask wha yer doin 'ere?" Rolan asked (the entire town speaks with your accent. except your dad). You glanced at him.

Might as well cut to the chase you thought. "Rolan," You said, "have you seen my father? I haven't heard a word from him all day. Did he come here?"

Rolan frowned, "Wondered 'eye 'e wasn't wit you. Hojo was 'ere earlier, but 'e didn't stay long. He seemed like 'e was in a 'urry."

A hurry for what? you thought. Outloud, you said, "Thanks anyways. Do you know where he was going?"

"I think 'e mentioned sometin bout meetn an old friend. You know who?" You shook your head. You dad rarely had company, and you were usually gone when it happened.

"I'm going to look for him," you told Rolan, "Please tell me if you hear from him again."

"Sure thang Aka." Rolan told you. Nodding to him, you left the building. Looking around, you saw that it was still pouring and that the streets were almost empty.

This might actually make things easier you thought. You started running from block to block, trying to catch a glimpse of Hojo's dark hair. Half and hour later, it was noon, still pouring, and Hojo still hadn't shown up. You slumped down on a step of someone's home and stared at the street. Even with the sunglasses and rain, you knew your eyesight was good. So there was no way you couldn't have seen him. But where was he? You couldn't remember a time he'd walked two feet without telling you what he was doing. Had you passed him in the forest? What if he was already home? What if-

BANG!

Your head snapped up at the sound of a gun, your thoughts interrupted. Running towards the sound, you saw...

--------Cliffie--------

whoa, it's actually done. anyways...hope you liked it! part 2'll be out soon!


	2. Knight In Possesed Armor

-----Knight In the Possessed Armor-----

Oh, by the way, there may be some "vulgar" language in here. (You character does cuss a little, get used to it.)

Recap: You woke up in Trezanga to find your dad missing, so you went to town to look for him. But you couldn't find him anywhere. Then you heard a gun shot and started running towards it.

Start- You panted as you ran, already a little tired from all of the searching you'd already done. As you neared the area where the gun had been shot, you could hear people shouting. Putting on an extra burst of speed, you skidded to a halt in one of the various town crossroads. Standing there were two men, both in black clothes. And lying on the ground in front of them was...

"DAD!" You screamed and ran to his side. The two guys in black whirled around to face you.

"Who are you?" one demanded. You didn't answer, you just down at your father. "ANSWEAR ME BITCH!" yelled the man.

"Wh-why is he lying here..?" you asked in a shakey voice. The men just looked at each other and laughed.

"Jeez! You must be deaf kid! Didn't you here the shot? We shot him with a gun you idiot!" You glanced at your father's side and almost puked. It was bleeding heavily, a red puddle forming on the ground. Your hand balled into a fist.

"Why...?" you demanded softly, but firmly. The men chuckled. "Well, since you ARE the guy's kid, I guess we can tell you...See, we're getting payed a lot of cash to make this guy disappear. And we don't like to turn down cash!" One of them told you.

"AND THAT'S AN EXCUSE TO DESTROY INNOCENT LIVES?" You screamed, standing up. They looked a little taken aback, but then started roaring with laughter.

"Hehe, for such a puny kid, you sure can yell!" One said.

Puny kid. Puny. Kid. That was the cherry on the volcano. With a cry of fury, you hurled yourself towards the two men in black and started landing punches wherever you could. After a few yelps and the sound of smacking, one was unconcious and you were holding the other by the collar, fist in his face.

"Who told you to kill Hojo Maron?" you demanded. "Wuh-we don't know! We always get jobs like this by letter!" He stammered. You were about to yell something else at him when you heard coughing behind you and your father calling your name.

"...A-Aka..." He coughed. Forgetting the other guy, you dropped him and ran to your father's side.

"Dad! Don't worry, I'll get you to the doctor and-"

"Aka.." your dad interupted softly, "I need you to...listen..."

"Don't talk dad! Save your streangth!" You pleaded. He ignored you.

"Please...I need you..to deliver...a message..." he said softly, coughing a bit.

"A-a message?" you stammered.

"Yes...the letter...in my pocket...please take it to...Roy.." he said with a cough. This time a little blood came out. You gave a shuddering gasp.

"I-I will," you croaked. A small smile appeared on his face as his green eyes studied your face.

"You're...so beautiful...Aka...I...love you..." he said, his voice even softer then before. Shifting his eyes to the pouring rain overhead (yes, it's still raining) he closed them and fell limp, with a small smile plastered on his face.

You just stared at him with shock. You wanted to cry. You couldn't remember ever crying in your life. To you, it made you seem weak. But now...all you wanted to do was break down and cry. But the tears wouldn't come...

You just sat there, staring down at your father's face, oblivious to even the touch of raindrops on your face. If you'd been more like yourself, you would have seen the guy you'd drop earlier getting up. But without you noticing, he drew a strange circle on the ground, muttering something as he looked up at the sky. Smirking, he slammed his hands onto the ground.

The next thing you knew, a white hot pain was searing through your body. Numb with the cold and sadness, it took you a few moments to realize that you were being struck by... lightning...? Your eyes widened in shock as you began to feel your body slipping away...

NO! you thought furiously, I PROMISED DAD TO DELIVER HIS LETTER! I CAN'T DIE UNTIL IT'S DELIVERED! I HAVE TO STAY ALIVE DAMMIT! you screamed at yourself.

To your surprise, the pain was actually going away. So were the sparks that had been flickering about your body. You were... absorbing them! You stared at your gloved hands as the last few sparks disappeared into them.

What the hell... you thought. Still getting over the shock that your dad was dead and you weren't, you didn't notice that the guy who had been using alchemy was cursing and pulling out a gun...but someone else did!

* * *

Al's POV-

Ed sure is taking his sweet time getting a train ticket...he probably just doesn't want to stay in the rain! This town is pretty small, I'm surprised they even HAVE a train station. I wonder if it rains like this all the time.

You were busy thinking when you heard a shot in the distance on the other side of town. Jerking up, you didn't bother to get Ed and started running towards the sound, praying that no one would get hurt.

Turning on one of the small blocks, you saw a strange person all wrapped up in clothes in front of you staring at their hands. (remember, you wear baggy clothes, and with your back turned no one can tell if you're a guy or girl) They didn't seem to notice you. p Looking past their shoulder, you saw two men in black behind the person in baggy clothes. One was unconcious and the other...WAS AIMING A GUN A THE BAGGY CLOTHES PERSON!

"STOP!" you yelled and threw yourself in front of the person's back, the bullet hitting your armour and ricoheting off. You sensed the person behind you jerk their head up.

* * *

Aka's POV- You heard someone yell and another gun shot. Looking up, you saw a huge suit of armor in front of you. Stepping off to the side to see around him, you saw the man you'd been punching earlier holding his leg, which was bleeding a bit. Serves him right! you thought angrily, still furious with them for killing your father.

"Are you ok?" You heard a strange voice ask. Startled, you turned to the suit of armor and was about to answer when...


	3. A New Disquise

hey again! zago here with another blah update. sorry if i haven't updated in a while. i would have an excuse, but all i can come up with is some crap about pink hippos.

hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, i'm having ablast writing it. just for reference: there's no real way to pronounce Aka's name. it's a japenese word, but you don't have to pronounce it the way it sounds.

disclaimer: i don't own FMA. so don't sue my ass.

-----A New Disquise-----

Recap: Your dad got shot by some assassins. (who's asses were royally punished) and one of them tried to kill you by striking you with lightning, which your body (for reasons unknown) absorbed. We left off where you got saved from gunshot by none other than Al.

Start- You turned to the suit of armor and were about to answer when you heard a him gasp as he pointed at you.

"You-you're a...girl!" he stammered. Your hand shot up to your head.

Oh crap you thought. The lightning had burned your clothes a bit, but it had also knocked off your bandanna in the process. Now your dark brown hair fell around your head, getting wetter and wetter by the minute. Looking around, you saw the tattered remains on the ground and quickly re-tied it around your head.

The armor-guy was still staring at you funny. It was beginning to annoy you. You hated it when people stared, and boys seemed to do it a lot.

"What's your deal? Am I just that more interesting than the bleeding creep over there?" You snapped at him. He looked surprised and muttered a small apology. He actually sounded like he meant it. You felt a little bad and relaxed a bit.

Wow you thought Guess I'm a little tense, but who wouldn't be? Your mind churned with sadness as you thought of Hojo. You shook your head and pushed it away. There would be time for that later. Right now...you looked up to see that the armor-guy was still looking at the ground.

"It's no big deal." You told him. "Thanks for the save, if you hadn't jumped in front of me, that last shot would have wasted me." you said with a chuckle. Maybe I shouldn't be laughing.. you thought. Al looked at you and shrugged his armor.

"I'm just glad I could help. By the way, my name's Alphonse, Al for short. What's yours?" he asked.

"Akari, but everyone calls me Aka." you told him.

"Aka? As in red? Why do they call you red?" he asked. You started. You hadn't expected that one.

Remembering your father's advice in a situation like this, you said, "Oh nothing really, it's just that I love the color red. And strawberries." Al nodded, he seemed to buy it.

"So, Aka-can you tell me exactly what happened...?" he trailed off, looking behind him. You followed his gaze to see the assassin jerk who'd tried to shoot you. He was moaning in pain and clutching his leg.

Renewed anger flared inside of you as you strode over to him. You didn't notice that Al followed close behind. Reaching the assassin, you grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and lifted him off the ground until you could see his face.

"I won't ask again nicely, who sent you to kill Hojo Maron?" you demanded.

"Argh-I'm telling you! I don't have-argh-a clue! We got this job in a letter that was delivered-argh-around a week ago from some messenger!" he said, face still contorted in pain.

"What did the friggin messenger look like?" You asked him as 'politely' as you could.

"Uh..I don't know! He was just a kid! Some little...brat...with brown hair!" p You growled angrily. "That doesn't give me much to follow, now does it? Give me something else." You spat.

"Uh-wait! Now I remember! He had gray eyes! Yeah, uh-gray eyes!" You stared at him through your sunglasses for a moment before releasing him. He slumped to the ground, moaning in pain. p You turned around and nearly jumped out of your skin when you realized that Al had been right behind you the whole time. Looking up, you saw that the rain was beginning to slow down. p "That man was murdered?" asked Al. Numbly, you nodded. "But why-"

"AL!" a voice interrupted Al. Looking around, you saw a boy with a red cloak and a blond braid running towards you two.

"Jeez Al, I've been looking all-what the heck?" he said, stopping short. You watched as his golden eyes traveled from the assassins, you and your Hojo's dead body.

"Al..." He said in a soft voice. p "These men murdered that man brother." Al told him, "I think that erm- i he's /i his son." You glanced at him, confused. Then it clicked. Al was telling the guy that you were a boy!

You shot Al a questioning glance, but he kept his eyes on the boy. At least, you thought so, you couldn't really tell.

Might as well go along... you thought. Deepening your voice you said to the boy,

"Hey. I'm er-Akaro. (deal with it) Yeah, the guy who...he's my dad." The blonde boy just looked at you.

"Really? I'm...sorry. I'm Edward Elric, but you can just call me Ed." he told you. Then, turning to Al he said, "Look Al, I got us tickets. The train doesn't get here for about two more hours though, so we'll have to hang here for a while."

"Oh, I bet Roy'll love that!" Al answered.

You turned to him sharply. "Who's Roy?" you asked.

"Huh? Oh, he's a Colonel from Central." answered Al. Something clicked in the back of your brain. You remembered you dad talking about a guy named Roy when you had asked him about being a State Alchemist.

Wordlessly, you turned around and walked to your father's body, digging in his left pocket and pulling out a letter. It was in a simple white envelope with the word 'Roy' written on the front in your father's handwriting. There was also a strange stamp on the letter, but you ignored it and put it in your pants pocket to avoid getting it wet. You turned around to see that the boys were watching with interest.

"What did you take from him?" asked Ed.

"A letter he asked me to deliver." you said in your new voice. "He said it needed to go to a guy named Roy. You talked about him, does that mean you know how to get to him?"

Ed and Al exchanged a surprised look. "Are you sure it's the same Roy? Our's is...well..." said Al, trailing off.

"My father was a state alchemist who said that he did odd-jobs here and there for a guy named Roy from Central. So unless there's more than one Roy from Central, I need to know how to find him." you told him stiffly.

Ed stared. "Your dad was a state alchemist?" he asked. "How come I didn't hear about him?" You were about to explain about your dad being a minor alchemist when...


	4. Assasins to Ashes

zago- hey again! i'm happy to say that all pink hippos have now been...uh...relocated...--'...and i'm free to start updating more often! huzzah for me! not so much for you!

legal crap- i don't own fma. otherwise ed would loose his shirt a _LOT_ more often.

warning- donot read this quiz if youdo not like cussing and have no appreciation for humor. there's a lotof both. hopefullly.

* * *

-----Part 4 Assasins to Ashes-----

Recap- Al found out that you were a girl, but told Ed you were a boy who's name was "Akaro." You found out that the two knew how to find Roy and Ed was asking why he'd never heard of your father when...

Start- You all heard yelling. Looking around, you saw town people coming out of their homes, staring at the scene in front of them. They're faces looked confused.

Heck, I'd be confused to you thought to yourself. A dead body, a guy with a bloody leg and a giant man of armor? That's not quite the same as looking at turnips all day

"Hey Al, maybe we should go..." you heard Ed say softly.

"But what about Ak-Akaro's father? We can't just leave him in the street like this!" Al replied. You didn't look at him, but inside you were shocked. These guys didn't even know Hojo, and yet they were trying to save him!

Your thoughts were interrupted by the murmuring of the crowd.

"Is that Hojo?" one asked.

"Who are the other people?" asked another.

"Isn't that Hojo's kid?"

"Why is he in town? Did he kill Hojo?"

"Yeah, but who's the armor guy? I've never seen him or the blonde kid before..." this went on for a few minutes, and the longer it got, the more wrong the story became. Knowing that the people would gossip it out of proportion, you shouted,

"Hojo was assassinated by those two men!" Pointing at the killers, you paled as you realized that the unconscious one had woken up...AND HAD STOLEN MR. BLOODY LEG'S GUN!

There were screams of terror as the assassin lifted the weapon, aiming at a random place in the crowd. p "DON'T!" you screamed, running towards him as fast as you could. You would NOT let these creeps kill anymore people! But you weren't going fast enough! Your eyes widened behind your sunglasses (yes, you're still wearing them. you'll have them on for a while...) as you saw his hand tense, getting ready to pull the trigger.

"Stop!" you yelled, reaching an arm out towards him. That's when it happened.

You could feel all of the anger and sadness boiling up inside of you, trying to get out. Before you knew what was going on, your had shined red for a moment before shooting a beam of red lightning towards the assassin. There was an explosion and a scream of pain, and when the smoke cleared, the only thing left of the assassin was a large black spot in the ground.

You stared at the spot the assassin had disappeared and then looked at your hands. They were shaking uncontrollably.

You felt a hand on your shoulder and turned to see Al looking down at you.

"Akaro...?" he asked softly. Your body shook as you looked back down at your hands.

"I-I killed him..." you said in shock. Al squeezed your shoulder.

"It's ok," He told you, "It'll be alright."

"YOU LITTLE BRAT!" you heard someone yell. Looking up, you saw that the crowd of people was looking at you murderously.

"See that? An alchemist! Just like 'is father!" (yeah, everyone in town thinks your a guy)

"Hey! You think it's a military dog too?"

"Maybe _he's_ the one whoo killed Hojo!"

"YEAH!"

"MURDERER!" every word was like a bullet in the gut.

Murderer... you thought slowly. Still trying to understand, you didn't notice that the people were getting closer until Al shook you.

"Akaro! Snap out of it! We have to move!" he yelled at you. Looking up, you saw that the town people were approaching quickly, rage in their eyes. Stumbling backwards, you almost fell, but felt a pair of strong arms wrap around your stomach, keeping you up.

Arching your neck upwards, you saw two golden eyes staring down at you.

"You heard Al! Let's go!" Ed yelled at you and started dragging you away, not waiting for a response. You let him, still trying to figure out what to do. You were rocked back to your senses by the sight of Hojo's body.

Stopping abruptly, you told Ed, "I'm not leaving his body to that mob!" Ed just stared.

"What do you want to do then? Take it with us? We can't do that!"

"Yes you can." came a voice from in front of you.

"Rolan!" you yelled, seeing the familiar large blacksmith.

"Go back to my workshop." he said quietly. "I'll get your father's body back to his house and bury him there. You can visit the grave after the people stop looking for you." he said quietly.

"But-"

"GO!" he told you. Nodding, you ran into a narrow alley and headed towards Rolan's house. It wasn't until you were at he front door that you realized that Ed and Al had followed you.

"What're you-"

"Just get inside!" yelled Ed. Shaking your head, you quickly opened the door and headed inside. Sitting on a chair, you stared at the floor.

* * *

Hmm...let's go over what's happened today you told yourself.

Number One: Dad went missing, then was killed by assassins.

Number Two: kicked the "ass" out of the assassins, but got struck by lightning.

Number Three: Dad gave me weird letter.

Number four: Met armor-man and blondey, a.k.a. Al and Ed.

And number five: The town thinks I murdered my own father.

Yeah, not exactly how I planned to spend my day

"Akaro?" you heard. Looking up, you saw Ed sitting on a chair nearby, his golden eyes a bit worried.

"What?" you said. Normally, it would have been a snappy answer, but it came out slightly dull and lifeless. Too much had happened._ Way_ too much.

Ed looked at you for a moment longer before asking, "How did you do that light thing? It was alchemy, but you didn't use a transmutation circle..."

You opened your mouth to answer and closed it, frowning. How _did _do that? you thought. Unless- your mind did a sudden flashback of the lightning striking you.

Was that it? you thought. You hung your head. You wished Hojo was here. You'd never needed help in alchemy more than now, just when he wasn't here to help.

"Akaro, didn't you say something about a letter to Roy?" asked Al. You knew that he was probably just trying to get our mind off of things, but it did remind you that you had a promise to forfill. You nodded and looked up at Al.

"Yeah, Hojo wanted me to deliver a letter to him...I should probably do it as soon as possible."

"If it really is for the Roy we know, why don't we just take it? He's been bugging us on giving a report anyway..." asked Ed, a bit annoyed with the thought of visiting Roy. You shook your head.

"No, I have to take it myself." You said forcefully. Ed looked surprised.

"Why? It's not like we'll steal it..." he said.

"It's not that." You told him. "Hojo spent his last moments telling _me_ to do this. So there's no way in hell I'm handing this letter over unless it's to this Roy guy."

Ed stared at you a bit longer before standing and pacing around the shop, asking you more questions as he walked.

"Who was the guy in the alley?" he asked.

"Who, Rolan? He's a blacksmith. He makes farm tools for me and Hojo."

"Farm tools?"

"Yeah, Hojo owns a farm on the outside of town. Past the forest."

"Why do you keep calling him Hojo instead of dad?"

"Brother!" Al suddenly interrupted. Ed looked at Al as he jerked his head in your direction. Ed glanced at you and quickly away.

"Sorry, guess you don't really want to talk about it..." said Ed. (ironic how that rhymes)

"Whatever." You said, a little attitude back in your voice.

Who the heck are these people? you asked yourself. Al's okay, but Ed's beginning to get on my nerves. Asking questions one minute and then treating me like a pathetic kid the next

Outloud, you said, "Rolan sure is taking a while, my house isn't THAT far away."

"Maybe we should just go then?" asked Al. For a minute you wanted to jump up and do just that, but held yourself back.

"No, people around here will pretty much want to kill me if they think I'm a murderer. They'll probably check my house first."

"Jeez, is it really that bad here?" asked Ed.

Great, more questions you thought scornfully.

"Yeah, they're pretty narrow-minded. If you're even a little different, you're either a freak or a criminal, usually both." you said, your voice cracking a bit. "That's why Hojo wanted a house far away, he wanted to protect the village from the State Alchemist stuff."

And to protect me from the village you thought, but didn't dare say it outloud. p Just then, the door opened to reveal...

"Rolan! About time!" you said. He simply shrugged.

"I had to hide out in the woods so that the villagers wouldn't find me." he told you.

"So they did look in my house! If they stole anything-" you started angrily, but Rolan held up a hand to stop you.

"Calm down Aka, they were only looking for you. I doubt they would steal from a dead man." he said calmly.

"Yeah right..." you muttered. Looking Rolan in the eye, you said,

"I'm taking a trip. Hojo asked me to do something, and I'm not coming back until I do it. But I need to go to my house before I leave."

Rolan stared at you for a few moments, then smiled.

"Leaving right away just because Hojo asked? He would be proud." He told you. "I'll help you get back into your house. But how are you going to get out to town? Villagers will be blocking the exits..." he trailed off.

"Leave that to us!" said Ed. You gave him a questioning look, but he just waved a hand at you.

"Go get your stuff, we'll meet you near the train station in an hour. Let's go Al!" he said.

"Comimg Brother!" answered Al. You watched as they warily stepped outside and ran around the corner.

What are they doing? you wondered. They better be right, they're my only ticket out of this hellhole...

"We should hurry Aka, the longer we stay here, the more likely you'll be found." you heard Rolan say. Nodding at him, you exited the shop from the back door and headed for the forest...

* * *

Part 4 end!

and so, the story continues (after much wait on some lazy writer's ass) but what will happen next? will aka get caught trying to break into her own house? will ed and al be able to find a way for aka to get out of town? do you even care that i'm asking these questions?...don't answer that. till the next time i get off my lazy ass!

-zago


	5. Fond Memories

hey guys! can't beleive i'm actually keeping my promise- check me out! anyway, let's go through this again:

-i don't own fma

-i don't own a moter scooter

-but i do own aka

-still want the moter scooter

-----Part 5-Fond Memories-----

Recap- Ed and Al stayed with you until Rolan came back. Then Ed promised to help you escape Trazenga and went somewhere with Al. You and Rolan are now going to your house to get your stuff.

Start- The walk through the woods seemed longer than usual, maybe because you half expected villagers to pop out and kill you with a sickle. (for those of you who don't know what a sickle is or are too retarded to play Harvest Moon, it's kind of like a mini-scythe used to cut grass)

You kept jerking your head this way and that as animals scampered among the treetops. You heard Rolan chuckling at you laughter and sent him a glare, but didn't dare say anything. Someone might hear.

Instead, you tried to remember where everything you might need could be found so that you wouldn't waste time looking for it.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, you came to the edge of the forest and peered out cautiously. You could see the outline of the back of your house, but there were a few moving objects in front of it.

Damn, they must be expecting me to come back you thought angrily. Turning to Rolan, you said, "Try to distract them long enough for me to get inside. I'll take it from there."

Rolan looked at you like you'd grown another head, but you met his look with a fierce gaze of confidence. Nodding, Rolan left you at the forest edge and walked towards the villagers. You saw him talking with them and watched as the villagers gave angry gestures before following him towards the fields.

Knowing that time was short, you crept along the taller grasses towards your house. For once in your life, you were beginning to see the advantages of being short...

Al's POV- "Brother! Slow down!" you said in a loud whisper. Ed had been dragging you in a zig-zag pattern all over town. Whether it was because he was avoiding villagers or was lost, you couldn't tell. But it was starting to annoy you.

"Will you at least tell me what your plan is?" you asked him. Ed finally stopped and turned to you, a big grin on his face.

"Don't worry Al, I've got it all figured out. It's foolproof!" he told you. You gulped. Ed had that look in his eye...

"Brother, this isn't something sneaky again, is it?"

Ed looked at you with mock surprise. "Me? Sneaky? Why Al, I take that to heart!" he said over-dramatically. You sighed. Ed was _definitely_ planning something you didn't like.

"Will you just tell me? I want to help Ak-Akaro to." you said, stumbling over Aka's name. Darn, I've got to get used to that! Ed might get suspicious... you told yourself.

"I'll explain everything at the train station, now hurry up! We won't have a lot of time to pull this off!" said Ed as he once _again _ran off.

Shaking your head, you trailed after him. The zig-zags went on for about ten more minutes before you finally made it to the train station.

You and Ed stopped a few blocks away and peered around a building.

"Oh no..." you said. Standing outside of the station was at least half the town, all of whom looked murderous.

"Jeez! Akaro wasn't kidding when he said this town didn't like criminals!" said Ed surprisingly. You nodded.

"That just gives us a better reason to help him." You said confidently. Ed grinned and turned to you.

"So does that mean you're in?" he asked.

"Of course! Let's just do this and get Akaro out of here!" you said confidently, even though inside you were still wary of Ed's plan...

* * *

Aka's POV- Shutting the door quietly behind you, you went up to your room, making sure that no one was inside. Luckily, it seemed that the villagers were content with searching outside.

Lucky me... you thought sarcastically. You felt anything but lucky. It was still in the early afternoon, and you had already lost your father, gotten struck by lightning, and been called a murderer. Now the town was after you and the only chance you had of escaping lied in the hands of two people you hadn't even known for more than an hour or two.

Not to mention they're guys... you thought. Flashbacks came to you in a rush, older boys picking on you when you were younger, girls your age getting abused by their boyfriends, and the occasional rumor of rape that would linger around the village. You shuddered at the thought.

At least since everyone thought you yourself were a boy, none of the men had bothered you. Heck, the only time you saw men was when you were beating the pulp out of them for abusing your friends or trying to steal from your dad.

You looked sadly out your window at the fields. I'll probably never see the strawberries grow...

For most of your life, you'd assumed that you would just inherit the farm from your dad. But as you got older and learned more about your dad's alchemy travels, you had to admit that there were times you wanted to get out of the country and see the kinds of places your dad went.

Hojo...he had been such a great guy. You didn't care if you weren't related to him, he'd been your guardian for longer than you could remember. He had been the one to show you farming, to climb trees, to explore forests, and one of your favorites, alchemy.

You grinned, remembering your first alchemy attempt.

You were about eight at the time, and you'd accidentally broken one of your father's favorite gardening tools. Worried that he would be mad at you, you stole one of his books on alchemy to fix it. You'd remember you dad's constant threats about what kinds of things could go wrong with alchemy, so you made sure to practice drawing the transmutation circle over and over again, until you could practically do it blindfolded. Eventually, when you gathered enough courage, you tried it. And happily presented a brand-new looking tool to your father. You told him how you used alchemy. He was surprised at first, but then gave you a proud look and ruffled your hair.

_"Not bad kid!" He had said, "Think you can fix the sink?" he asked. _

_"Ew! With all that moldy stuff? How do you draw a circle on that ?" you'd shot back. _The two of you laughed. It had been the beginning of your studies as an alchemist.

Now you were fifteen.  
Now your dad was dead, and you'd discovered a new source of alchemy.  
Lightning.

You stared at your hands for a moment, but quickly dropped them to your sides. You didn't want to see that red lightning again. Not yet at least.

One step at a time... you thought. Grabbing a bag from your clothes chest, you threw some of your baggier clothes in it, along with some of your normal ones, just in case.

Picking up a smaller box, you filled it with souvenirs from you father's journeys along with a picture of him in his military uniform. Tucking the box in a hidden pocket at the bottom of your bag, you crossed into Hojo's room and collected the last of the money, depositing it in the front pouch of your bag.

Going down to the kitchen, you grabbed the rest of the peaches and tossed them in your bag, hoping they wouldn't get squished and ruin all of your close.

Peeking out the window, you saw that Rolan was still out in the fields with the visitors. He was facing them, their backs turned to the house. Deciding to risk it, you climbed out the window and made a dash for the forest, hoping that Rolan was the only one who saw you.

Trying to avoid any contact, you ran as fast as you could to the train station...

* * *

Al's POV- Never, not in a million years, did you ever see this coming. Ed had the craziest idea about leaving Trezenga, and you were actually _helping_ him with it.

If this doesn't work out, Aka's not the only one in danger... you thought solemnly. You and Ed had suck around to the side of the train station, and with your help, had gotten Ed onto the roof. Now you were back in the corner you'd first seen the mob of people from, waiting for Ed's signal.

I hope Aka gets here in time you thought. As if on cue, you heard a faint whisper behind you.

"Al?" it asked. Turning, you saw Aka standing just behind you, a bag on her shoulder.

"Aka! You made it!" you said, barely remembering to whisper. She nodded.

"How am I going to get out of here?" she asked you.

"Don't worry!" you told her, "Ed knows what he's doing..." Aka seemed a little wary of your words, but said nothing.

She really trusts us you thought I hope we don't let her down

"Aka, Ed will probably start soon, we should get ready." you told her. Aka tilted her head.

"Start what exactly?" she asked.

"You may not want to know." you replied. "Anyway, you have to get in my armor."

"Huh? Then what will you do?" she asked, confused. You smacked your head.

Oh no! you thought She doesn't know! Oh man, what am I going to do?

"Al? Is everything okay?" Aka asked. You thought for a moment before sighing.

There's no other way... you thought.

"Aka, I have to show you something, but whatever you do, don't scream. And please, just know, that no matter what, I want to help you." you told her.

Bracing yourself for the worst, you took off you head and bent over so thats she could see that the inside of your armor...was hollow.

For a while you didn't hear anything. Putting your head back on and standing up straight, you saw that she was simply staring at you, but it wasn't a stare of fear of dislike. Even with her sunglasses on, she just looked curious.

"D-do you mind much?" you asked her, a bit afraid of what she might say. To your surprise, Aka simply shrugged.

"You're a soul in an armor. Big deal. I'm a girl who's dressed up as a boy and being blamed as a murderer. I could personally care less who you are." she told you.

You had to be amazed with her reasoning.

"Now what did you say about me in the armor?" she asked.

"Oh! Yes, well-you'd have to climb into my armor to hide you. My armor is very durable, so it should protect you." you told her. She raised an eyebrow from under her glasses.

"Protect me from _what _exactly?"

"Um, nothing important. Look, I don't have time to tell you the details now, Ed could start any minute. But I promise, we're going to get you out of here." you told her. She stared at you for a bit longer before nodding.

"Fine, how do I get in?" she asked. Disassembling yourself, she slid easily into the armor. Putting yourself back together, you asked, "Are you alright?"

"I've been better," came Aka's muffled voice.

"You'll just have to sit tight, normally people can control the Armour if they wear it, but since you're so small-" you were cut off by Aka, who was beginning to thrashing inside the armor.

"Stop! You'll make me fall!" you whispered loudly. You heard muttering, but the armor was blocking it out. "What?" you asked.

"Take it back." she said. You were dumbfounded for a moment, but then you realized that she was talking about the 'small' comment. Sheesh! She's as bad as Ed! you thought. "I'm sorry." You said aloud. You heard more muttering, but didn't bother asking what she was saying. "Now we wait for Ed's signal, okay?" you told her."

"Yeah, sure." said Aka. Turning back to the edge of the wall, you watched the roof carefully. Finally, you saw...

* * *

and so, i leave you with another cliffie! MWAHAHAHAHA! now you must all suffer the suspense and anxiety of waiting!...yeah, i'm usually like this when i write.

till the next time i get off my lazy ass,

-zago


	6. Stowaway

and so, back from the dead- i mean- cough school, your amazingly beautiful and adored writer is updating again! don't get used to it though, rumor has it that she's going to abandon you all to a crappy cliffhanger! MUWAHAHAHAHAHA...more manical laughter...wheeze...starts laughing again...

FMA isn't mine

Ed should be mine

but he's not. repeat: NOT

so, for my amusement, i created Akari. yes, she is mine. say it with me: MINE MINE MINE! MWUAHA- you know how it goes.

* * *

-----Part 6-Stowaway-----

Recap- Aka went home to get her stuff and had a flashback about her dad and alchemy. Ed has an idea to get Aka onto the train, and right now she's hiding inside Al's armor.

Start- Al's POV: Ed poked his head up from the roof and raised his arm, giving you a mock salute.

That's the signal! I hope you know what you're doing Ed. you thought to yourself. "Aka? Ed's all set. We're going to start moving. Just try to stay put and don't worry about the sounds outside." you told her. In return, you heard more muttering, and realized that she probably didn't like this plan so far.

I'm not sure if I like it at all... you thought. But you didn't have a chance to back down, because all of the sudden, you heard the distant horn of the train.

"Ready Aka?" you asked.

"Yes! Just go!" she yelled. She must have heard the train you thought. Looking up at your brother, you saw him give another salute and jump down...right into the middle of the mob outside the station.

"Here we go Aka!" you yelled. Without giving her time to answer, you ran towards the station, trying not to make Aka move too much.

Ed was clapping his hands together and threw them onto the ground, blueish light shining around him. All of the sudden, metal spears started shooting out of the ground in different directions. With cries of fear, the villagers all ran away, but you kept on running.

Luckily, Ed hadn't made the spears sharp enough to penetrate your armor, so they didn't even scratch you as you ran by. Ed was busy making faces at the retreating villagers.

"**ED**! Cut it out Brother!" you yelled, grabbing his arm as you ran by.

"What? Can't I just enjoy my masterpiece?" he pouted.

"No! You could have hurt someone!" you yelled back.

"Well, no one did, so stop worrying. Akaro's in there, right?" he asked, trying to change subject. You heard grumbling in reply. Ed gave you a sheepish look.

"Uh...sorry Akaro, but you'll have to stay in there a little longer. And try not to talk too much, okay?" Ed told Aka. You heard more grumbling in return.

Still running, you and Ed raced up the platform and straight to the front of the train.

"MOVE!" Ed yelled at the conductor. He gave you a confused look.

"But what about-"

"Please sir, just go! We're the only passengers, I promise! The guy who gave us our ticket said so!" you said, cutting him off. He continued to stare.

"Who are you people anyway?" he asked.

"Does it matter? Look, we have our tickets, now are you gonna take us or not?" Ed growled. The conductor blinked, but looked at the brake hesitantly.

"Well, if you are the only passengers..." he trailed off.

"Yes! Now please just go!" you yelled. Shaking his head, the conductor grabbed the lever and pulled, bringing the train out of brake. Pushing another lever forward, you felt the train begin to move.

"Please take your seats gentlemen, it will be two hours until we get to Central City." said the conductor.

"Thank you sir!" you replied. Making your way to a compartment, you sat down across from Ed. Suddenly, Ed burst out laughing.

"What is it?" you asked him. Too busy laughing, Ed just pointed at the window.

Looking outside, you saw that the villagers were waving their arms and yelling at the departing train.

"That's not funny Ed." you told him sternly.

"Aww, don't spoil it! Did you see their faces when the spikes came up? Priceless!" he said, still laughing.

"_What spikes_?" came a voice. You and Ed jumped slightly.

"Oh, sorry Akaro, forgot you were still in there!" said Ed.

"Well I am, now can I come out?" said Aka, a little annoyed.

"Oh. Um, yeah-sorry about that." You said

* * *

Aka's POV: You carefully got out of Al's armor, glaring at Ed from behind your sunglasses.

"Run me through this again-spikes? What the hell did you do?" you yelled at him.

Al shrunk away, surprised by your anger, and quietly left the compartment. Ed just glared in return.

"Well gee, your welcome for saving your sorry but!" he yelled back. "We had to get those morons to make way! How else would we have done it?"

"I can think of three." you growled in return, so angry that you barely remembered to disguise your voice. "Now I'll _definately_ never be able to go home!"

"Would you really want to?" Ed suddenly asked, his voice a bit quieter. You looked at him in surprise, but fell silent as well.

Would I? you asked yourself. I never really lived in town anyway, and I could never go back to the farm without Hojo...

"You're not the first." Ed said quietly.

"Huh?"

"Me and Al. We can never go back home either. Our home was filled with such bad memories...we burned it to the ground. So trust me, I'd be the one to understand about not wanting to go back." He fell silent and looked out the window.

You continued to stare at him, letting it all sink in. Suddenly remembering something, you asked,

"Hey, why doesn't Al have a body?" Ed tore his gaze from the window and gave you a look of surprise.

"Oh, yeah...forgot you might be a little freaked about that..." he said sheepishly.

"Not really. Al didn't give me enough time to worry about it, but I don't really care anyway."

"What?" Ed asked. "Are you serious? It doesn't bug you at all that he's a hollow piece of armor?"

"No..." you said, "Should it? I mean, is there something else about him?"

"No, it's just-well you're the first person we've met other than me, Winry and Pinako who wasn't freaked out by him when we first saw him..." Ed replied. You tilted your head.

"Winry and Pinako? Who're they?" you asked.

"Oh, Winry's my automail mechanic and Pinako's-"

"Your _what!_? you exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, Al wasn't the end of the metal thing. I've got it too. See?" said Ed, pulling up the sleeve of his jacket so that you see the metal glinting underneath it.

"That's..._SO COOL_!" you yelled. Ed just blinked at you.

"Uh, yeah...I guess..." he trailed off.

"Does it work like a real arm?" you asked, excited. Rolan had once spoken about automail, but you'd never actually thought you'd ever see it.

"Yep. It pretty much is like a normal arm, but less breakable, and definately more painful." Ed told you, wincing.

"They connect it to the nerves, right? Is that why it's so painful?" you asked.

"That pretty much sums it up." Ed told you, "But I wouldn't suggest you to get some yourself." he told you. "I'd rather have my old arm and leg back..." he said quietly.

"Your leg to? Wow, what-" you began, but cut yourself off.

Whoa you thought, what's going on? I usually don't talk a lot, much less bug people about their buisness!

"It happened in an alchemy accident." Ed told you, answering your unfinished question. You looked down.

"Sorry, didn't mean to-"

"It's okay." Ed said, cutting you off. "I don't mind. Do you really want to know?" he asked. You looked out the window.

"If you don't want to tell me, then I don't, but if you do..."

"I do." he said. You nodded and sat back, waiting for him to continue.

* * *

"Well, me and Al were real little when it happened." Ed started. "We grew up in this town called Risembool, which isn't much bigger then Trezenga."

"Our family...well our dad walked out the door when I was just a toddler and never came back..._jerk..._" Ed said, mumbling the last part under his breath before continuing,

"But our mom was great. Better yet, fantastic. She was kind and gentle, and loved Al and I just as much as we loved her. She always smiled when we did alchemy, and was always encouraging us to do better. She hardly ever got mad at us, and we always felt really sorry when she did. But she never took long to forgive us. She was everything to us...but, when Al was nine and I was ten...she died.

"It was so quick...Al and I didn't know what to do. We decided to do something really stupid." he said, stopping to look at you, "Your dad was an alchemist, did he ever tell you about Human Transmutation?" he asks. You thought for a moment.

"Yeah, a little, but he never gave me very many details of it, he just made it sound like a really terrible thing." you answered.

"Well, he was pretty much right. Al and I used it. We were dumb enough to try..." he said quietly. "And that's how Al lost his body, and me my leg. I gave my arm up to seal Al's soul to that armor."

"It's not dumb." you said quietly.

"What?" Ed asked.

"It's not dumb." you repeated. "I'd give anything to bring Hojo back. If I'd known more about Human Transmutation-"

"Don't even _joke_ about that!" Ed suddenly yelled.

"I was just saying, I can understand how you'd just throw away everything to try to bring someone you loved back." You told him. Ed's face softened.

There was a moment of silence before Ed said, "Hey, Akaro?"

"Yeah?"

"...Thanks..." he said. You looked at him surprised.

"For what?" Ed just smiled.

"For saying that. Other people have said stuff like that, but...I don't know, your's just seems more..."

"Sincere?" you finished for him. He shrugged,"I'm sure everyone else is to. Oh, and just consider it payback."

"Payback?" he asked.

"For saving me." you told him. He gave you a smirk.

"Payback isn't exactly the same thing as saying 'thank you'"

"Deal with it, it's the closest you'll get to one." you growled, opening your bag.

"Whatcha doin?" he asked in a funny voice. You couldn't help but laugh.

"Peaches, you want one?" you asked.

"Uh..sure..."

As you and Ed finished off the peaches, Al came back.

"Where'd you sneak off to?" asked Ed.

"Somewhere where no one was yelling. The conductor says we're about halfway to Central." replied Al. You jerked up in surprise.

"Really? Finally! Now I can get the letter to Roy!" Ed groaned.

"Not _that_ pompous jerk again, are you sure we're talking about the same Roy?" he asked you.

"Ugh, for the last time, **YES**!" you said annoyed. "Jeez, is this guy really that bad?"

"Not unless you're a girl." said Ed.

You paled. Was Ed catching on? Seeing your nervousness, Al quickly jumped in.

"Brother, I know Roy's kind of a pervert, but he is polite around girls!" Ed chuckled.

"Yeah, but get him away from them and the only think he wants to talk about iswhat they'dllok like inmini-skirts!" he said. You groaned and shook your head.

Suddenly you were a little less excited about meeting Roy...

* * *

and on that happy note, I LEAVE YOU AGAIN! and just asa side note- i'm thinking about starting another series. i dunno. i'd still keep this one. maybe. maybe not. eggs. pudding. **FOOKIE! **yes, i'm on drugs.

-zago


	7. Message

hello again readers! i'd call you by name, but i don't really know who you are. but that's not really the point. the point is that you're here to read a damn good story. that's right. keep reading. **READ!**

* * *

-----Part 7-Message for Roy----- 

_Recap- Ed and Al smuggled you onto a train that is headed for Central City. You got to talk with Ed and he told you about the human transmutation thing. Now you're almost to Central._

**Start**- You stepped off of the train platform and looked around in amazement. This place was huge!

"Are there always this many people here?" you asked.

"Yeah, pretty much. This town is pretty big. But others come pretty close." you heard Ed answer. You just nodded.

Now you knew why your dad had called home small, there were probably more people in the train station then there was in the whole town of Trezanga!

We're not here to sightsee you reminded yourself. Turning to the Elrics, you asked,

"How are we getting to Central?"

"Oh yeah, gimme a sec, I gotta call Mustang and get us a cab." Ed said, though he didn't seem very excited about it. As he ran off, Al looked at you and asked quietly,

"Aka, are you sure you want to do this? We can give Roy the letter for you..."

"No." you answered, "I'm already here, and I made a promise I'd do this. Besides, it's not like I'll be going home anytime soon."

Al laughed nervously. "Yeah, erm-I guess we kind of made that impossible for you." You just shrugged.

"No big really, I talked to Ed a little on the train. He told me about you guys' house, and I gotta admit that it makes sense. I don't think I could go back without Hojo." you said.

Al grabbed your shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. "It'll be alright, I promise. Me and Ed will help you." he said encouragingly. You smiled and nodded.

These guys are so understanding you thought I didn't know decent guys like Al existed. And Ed's not that bad either you thought. Suddenly, Ed was back.

"Speak of the devil." you said with a smirk.

"What? Al, what'd you say about me behind my back?" Ed asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, just that he thought you were lazy, ugly and short." You said with a laugh.

"**WHAT? AL!"**

"Aka, you_ traitor_! Wait, brother, don't-" Too late. Ed had jumped up and stolen Al's head.

"BROTHER! GIVE IT BACK!" yelled Al's headless body as he chased Ed around the station. People started to stare. You were keeled over, trying to breathe between laughs.

A loud honk interrupted the scene. Ed stopped in mid step, staring at the car and giving Al a chance to snatch his head back.

You watched in amazement as the tallest guy you'd ever seen stepped out of the car.

"Oh, hey Armstrong! Didn't know you'd be the one to pick us up!" Ed called to him.

"Greetings Elrics, I am pleased to see you again!" replied Armstrong in a deep, booming voice. Looking down at you, he asked,

"Ah, and who is your little friend?"

Little...? you thought

Within three seconds. you wereshoting towards him with high fists. Al, remembering the 'small' incident in his armor, quickly ran forward and caught you in mid-air before you hit Armstrong.

Squirming violently, you tried to escaped Al's metal grip.

"Aka, calm down!" Al yelled. You finally stopped and stared at the ground. Al slowly let go of you and let you drop to the ground.

"Sorry..." you muttered, not meaning a word of it. Armstrong gave a booming laugh.

"That's quite alright, I'm rather used to behavior like that from Edward!" he told you.

"Hey! I'm not that bad!" yelled Ed.

"Yes you are." Al and Armstrong said in unison. You and Ed exchange a glance and look away, blushing.

"Whatever, can we just go? The faster this meeting with Roy is over, the better." Ed says. You roll your eyes under you sunglasses.

"Gee Ed, glad to know you think this meeting is _sooo_ important." you said sarcastically. Ed pales and starts flailing his arms around.

"Nuh-no! I-I mean, of course, it's important, I mean-yeah! It's important! So, um, let's uh-go! Let's go!" stammered Ed. The three of you laugh as Ed blushes and goes to the car, mumbling under his breath.

You smile to yourself. Ed kind of looks cute when he blushes... you think, and then mentally give yourself a black eye. _WHAT_? Cut it out dumbass! You don't date! You're here to see Roy, not drool over guys! you thought to yourself angrily. Blushing at your thoughts, you hurry to the car and take a seat next to Al.

Your gaze fixes upon the window as you try to make your blush go away. Your attention catches the many people walking around.

I still can't get over how big this place is you thought.

"So, what is your name?" asked Armstrong. Starting, you turned to him.

"Um, it's Akaro..." You said, the name feeling strange on your tongue. Ed noticed and looked at you strangely, but you avoided his gaze.

Suddenly, the car had stopped in front of a giant white building, with a golden dragon on it. You recognize the dragon symbol from your dad's pocket watch.

Dad... you thought sadly, recalling all the times you made him show it to you. Shaking yourself out of it, you step out of the car with the others and walk up the many stone steps.

I'll deliver this letter dad, I promise

Armstrong and the Elrics lead you along a maze of hallways, talking a bit as they went.

"So Elrics, having luck on your mission?" inquired Armstrong.

"No new leads yet, but we did get some clues here and there." answered Ed, sounding a bit aggravated.

"Mission?" you asked.

"Brother and I have been researching something for about three years." Al answered.

"Three years? The mission must be really important." you said.

"More than you know..." Ed said softly. You gave him an odd look, but he didn't meet your gaze.

You all continued walking in silence until you came to a large set of wooden doors. Next to them on the wall was a golden plaque that said 'Colonel Roy Mustang.' You noticed that Ed was wincing at the doors.

"What's with you?"

"I hate this guy's office." Ed answered, "He always asks me stupid questions."

"Akaro, do you want us to go in with you?" Al asked. You shrugged.

"You can come if you want." you told them.

Secretly, you _were_ hoping they'd come. Ed nodded.

"Yeah, we'll go with you. Armstrong, stay out here, okay?" he told the muscle-man.

"Of course." Replied Armstrong.

Ed gave you a small glance before pushing the door open and walking inside. You trailed after him, Al bringing up the rear.

Looking around, you saw that the office was pretty big, two desks and a few bookcases.

The smaller desk sat at the side of the room and was occupied by a women with blonde hair and fierce brown eyes. At the bigger desk sat a man with messy black hair. Both were wearing military uniforms like Armstrong's. Roy stood up and smirked at Ed.

"So FullMetal, how's the goose-chase?" he asked.

"Just fine, thanks for asking." growled Ed through gritted teeth. Roy's smirk just grew bigger.

"I'll take that as a 'No, because I'm too short to see over my own fat head.' answer."

"WHAT?" yelled Ed, "WHO ARE YOU CALLIN SO SHORT THAT MUSHROOMS LOOK LIKE TREES?" he shouted with flailing arms and an anime vein. (You've all seen it.) Then Roy noticed you.

"Oh, and who's your friend?"

"Akaro. I have a message from Hojo Maron." You told him, not wanting to waste time. Roy's eyes widened a bit at the name.

"Hojo? It's been a while since I saw him, how is he?" Roy asked. You looked at the ground, unable to say it. Al did it for you.

"He's dead. Some assassins killed him." He said quietly.

Roy slumped into his chair and stared at his desk, and out of the corner of your eye you saw that the blonde women was acting the same way.

"Hojo asked me to give this to you." you said quietly, handing Roy your precious letter.

Roy's hands shook a bit as he took it. Staring at the seal for a bit, he opened it and began to scan through the letter. You watched his face and saw that his eyes widened with each passing line. Finally, he put the letter down and closed his eyes, then looked at you when he opened them again.

"Do you know what this letter contains?" He asked. You shook your head. You'd been avoiding having to look at it.

Roy nodded and stood up. "I'll assume that you are Aka then, he mentioned you in the letter." You looked up at him in surprise.

"He mentioned me?"

"Yes, he said that if the letter ever got to you, it would be from his adopted child, Aka." You dimly nodded.

"Yeah, that's me..." you said quietly. Then you perked up again. "What was the letter about?" you asked. Roy shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but it is safer for you that you don't know." He told you sternly.

"What? Come on Roy, it's from his own dad! You can't be serious!" Ed exclaimed.

"I can, and I am Full Metal," Roy said, "The contents of this letter is officially marked as military business."

"But-"

"Let it go Ed." you interrupted. Before he could protest again, you looked at Roy and said, "I understand that I can't see the letter. So I just have one question. When is the next State Alchemist Exam?"

"WHAT?" Yelled Ed and Al in unison. Roy stared as well.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked. You looked out the window. "To join the military, why else? One, if I'm a State Alchemist, then I can see the letter. Two, my father was killed because he was a State Alchemist. I'm going to find out why. And three, I can't go home now, I have to do something with my life." Roy continued to stare at you.

"Becoming a State Alchemist isn't that easy. You have to be extremely skilled, not to mention the fact that you have to fight wherever we tell you."

"Aka can do that." Ed suddenly said. "I've seen him. He can fight and use alchemy better than most of the people I've seen. You can consider him as one of my suggestions." Ed said. Roy looked at him suspiciously.

"Are you sure you're not-"

"I'm sure Mustang, I wouldn't just encourage _anyone_ to join the state." Ed said.

"Let him try Roy." Came a voice. Startled, you realized that it had come from the blonde women.

"The worst he could do is not make it, and it's not often that a State Alchemist considers someone else good enough to try." She said, her voice full with authority. You looked back at Roy and saw that he was beginning to cave.

Wow, maybe Ed and Al was right about this guy and women you thought. You suddenly paled.

Shit! What if he finds out about me? There's no way he'd let an Ishbalan or a girl be a state alchemist, much less someone who'd both!

"Fine, you can try it. The next exam is in about three weeks. Either you're ready or you aren't. Now leave, I have important business." You nodded and followed Ed and Al out.

"Thanks Ed." you said quietly.

"I meant what I said." he told you. You stared at him, shocked.

"Don't look so surprised! If you're responsible for half the bruises that were on those jerks who killed your dad, you can definitely punch. Not to mention the trick you did with the red lightning." he said. You looked at the ground, embarrassed.

"I still don't know how-"

"That's okay, Ed and I can help you, right brother?" Al interrupted. Ed gave him a nod.

"Right! You heard Roy, We have a month to train you. Besides, we were thinking about taking a break anyway, it's not like our search is in a critical point!" he told you. You gave them a smile.

"Thanks guys, really." you told them.

"Don't thank us yet, we're still the ones teaching you! Now come on, to Central Library!" Ed yelled, grabbing your arm and dragging you after him. Al laughed and followed. You smiled to yourself. These guys really aren't that bad...

* * *

well, that's that. at least for now. tune in next time to see aka meet another guy from roy's unit!


	8. Study Time

hello! wow, look at me. i updated what, yesterday? i'm on a roll! but just for the record, let's go over this again:

i do NOT own FMA. love it, but don't own it.

oh- and i just wanna thank everybody's who's reviewed. they really help.

* * *

-----Part 7-Study Time-----

Recap: _You gave Roy the letter, but he wouldn't let you see it. So you decided to become a state alchemist so you could read it and find whoever killed Hojo. Ed's agreed to be your teacher. So now he's dragging you to the library._

**Start-** "Uh, Ed?" you asked.

"Hm?"

"Ya know...**MY ARM'S NOT A FREAKING LEASH! SO LET GO**!" You yelled. Ed let go of your arm like it was on fire and picked up his pace so that he was walking a greater distance from you. You rolled your eyes and looked over your shoulder at Al.

"Is he _really_ the one who's going to be teaching me?" You asked, faking a whine. Al shrugged.

"If you want to be a state alchemist, you might as well let him teach you a few things. I learned a lot of my alchemy from his help."

"It wasn't all me." Came Ed's voice from infront of you. "We learned at the same pace. Ijust showed you some details here and there." You looked back forward at Ed's back.

"So you learned alchemy together?" You asked.

"Pretty much." They answered in unison. "But we had a teacher to." Added Al.

"Was he a good alchemist?" You asked, walking backwards so you could focus on Al better.

"Yeah, she was great!" He told you. You jumped a bit.

"She? A woman taught you alchemy?" You asked in surprise.

"I know, girls doing alchemy seemed weird to me too. But our teacher was pretty skilled, even if guys are usually a lot better at it." Came Ed's voice again. You were about to turn around and hit him, but Al held up a hand to stop you.

"Just play along Aka." He said quietly, so that Ed wouldn't hear. You sighed and forced yourself to calm down.

Suddenly, your back hit something hard. Whirling around, you saw that Ed had stopped in the middle of the hallway, a look of panic on his face.

"Ed, what're you-" But you didn't have a chance to finish your question, because he seized your arm and dragged you behind the side of a sofa. As he crouched down besides it, he pulled you closer to his chest, making you blush a bit.

He's really warm...WTF? Snap out of it! He doesn't even know you're a girl! You screamed in you mind.

Al had crouched down besides you as well. You looked up at Ed, but he was looking over the arm of the sofa, as if waiting for something. Finally, you felt his grip on your arm loosen and you quickly pulled away from him, certain that your face was as red as your eyes by now.

"Brother, what was that about?" questioned Al.

"Oh, I heard Hughes and didn't want-"

"Oh, Ed! Al! There you are, I'd heard you were back!" Came a voice, interrupting Ed. Ed winced and turned around. Looking over his shoulder, you saw a man with a military uniform and glasses rushing over to Ed.

"Hey Hughes!" Al said cheerfully. Ed gave him a grin as well.

Huh? I thought we were avoiding this guy. Why are they-

"Oh, since your back, I'm sure you'll want to hear all the Elysia news you missed while you were gone!" Hughes said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small thick book. Flipping it open, he shoved it into Ed's face.

"She's two months older since the last time you saw her, hasn't she gotten cuter? Just the other day she-"

"OKAY HUGHES! I heard you the first time! Now stop throwing pictures in my face, I remember what she looks like!" Ed yelled, interrupting him. You smirked.

Ahh, so it's the _father_ they're avoiding, not the person You thought. A wave of pain shot through you. I wonder if Hojo kept pictures like that of me... You thought sadly. You shook your head at the thought. No, of course he didn't, he'd never endanger me like that. What if someone else hadseen them?

Trying to push it away, you picked up one of the pictures that had slipped out of the book. On it was a picture of a cute little girl with brown pigtails and big green eyes.

"She is kinda cute..." You said.

"Oh, you think so?" Hughes asked, taking the picture. He studied your face for a second.

"Isn't it dark?" He asked. You looked at him blankly. He motioned to his eyes.

"The sunglasses, doesn't it get dark?" You suppressed a gasp.

Aw shit! How _am_ I gonna tell people about that?

"Umm...yeah, kinda. Ya see I, uh-have eye problems! Yeah, my eyes are, er-sensitive to light!" You said, stumbling through what you hoped was a liable excuse.

Hughes seemed to buy it. "Ah, well, we all have some flaws." He said, tapping his own glasses. "But of course, Elysia doesn't, I mean, she's like-"

"We KNOW Hughes!" Ed interrupted. Waving a hand at you, he said, "Hughes, this is Akaro. He's studying to be a state alchemist. Akaro? This is Maes Hughes, he's a Lieutenant Colonel. And really annoying." He said, muttering the last part under his breath. If Hughes heard him, he gave no sign.

"Nice to meet you Akaro." He said, reaching out a hand and shaking yours. "So, you really want to be a state alchemist huh?" You nodded. "Well, good luck to that! I'm sure Ed and Al can help you get ready." He assured you. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with Roy."

"Good. Tell him he's a self-obsessed jerk who won't live past next week if I have anything to say about it." Ed said with a smirk. Hughes grinned back.

"I'll repeat it word for word. See ya later guys!" With a small salute, he continued down the hallway.

"He was...interesting." You said after he was gone. Ed chuckled.

"Yeah right. _Interesting_ is the understatement of the century! The guy's gone nuts over that kid of his." Al gave a metal shrug.

"He just loves his daughter Ed." You looked away as another wave of sadness washed over you.

Damn, how often is this going to happen? I've gotta snap out of it! He's gone! Yeah, I'm sad about it, but I can't just mope around, I have things to do!

Your thoughts were interrupted by a tap on the back of your head. Turning around, you saw Ed and Al standing behind you.

"Don't be ashamed about it Akaro, we went through the same thing." Ed said, his voice full of sympathy. Al nodded.

"It took us a long time to get past our mom's death, and you're doing a lot better than we did." he told you. You just nodded dully

. "C'mon, we need to find you some study material! You won't get to be a state alchemist without some serious back-breaking studying!" Ed said. You groaned.

"Great, I'm _so_ good at school to." You said sarcastically.

"Well, we'd better make that true!" Ed said, taking off down the hall and calling over his shoulder, "Last one to reach the library has to carry all the books!"

You didn't know how big the books would be, but not wanting to find out the hard way, you sped off after him.

"Wait! No fair, you guys got a head start!" Yelled Al as he struggled to keep up with you.

* * *

"You cheated!" panted Ed. You just smirked at him.

"Consider it motivation to not give me so much homework!"

"I still can't get over how fast you are!" exclaimed Al. You shrugged.

"Grew up on a farm, remember? I had to out-run a lot of things."

"Like what?" Asked Ed. You quickly fell silent and turned around.

"So what kind of books do we need?" You asked, trying to change the subject. You didn't want to have to talk about having to hide whenever visitors showed up on the farm unexpected. Your father didn't want to make you have to wear your disquise at home.

Not that it makes much of a difference now... You thought, realizing that you'd probably be in your baggy clothes 24/7 for a while.

Turning to Ed you asked, "So how _did_ I do the lightning thing?" Ed shrugged.

"I'm still working on that. Are you sure you didn't have a transmutation circle?" You nodded.

"Yeah, I know a little about alchemy, but I've never heard of doing it without a circle." Ed gave you a sly grin.

"Well you have now. I do it all the time." He said proudly. You stared.

"You're joking..."

"Nope. Pure fact. Ed doesn't need transmutation circles." Al told you. You continued to stare, before finally saying, "Show me."

"Here?" asked a shocked Ed. You nodded.

"If I see you do it, maybe I can do it again." You said simply. Ed sighed and walked over to to a burnt-out candle. clapping his hands, he held them over it. You watched in amazement as the candle wax became whole again.

"Awesome! And I can do that?" you asked, excited. Ed gave you a serious look.

"Don't forget what happened the last time you did it." He said sternly. You blinked.

Duh, don't be an idiot Aka. You killed someone! Don't just pass it off as something amazing You sighed and hung your head in guilt.

"I'm so stupid." You mumbled to the ground.

"Maybe you just need practice." Al said encouragingly. You smiled at him.

"Maybe..." You said softly. You heard a small thump on the table next to you. Turning, you saw that Ed had pulled a large stack of thick books off the wall. Staring at him, you said as pitiously as you could,

"This is everything I have to study to pass?" Ed grinned evilly.

"Of course not, this is only for tonight!" You groaned an collasped into a chair.

"That stupid letter better be good." You mumbled into the table. Ed was tsking at you.

"C'mon Akaro, excuses aren't going to ace you this test! Now open a book and start studying!" You looked at the pile, scanning through the titles. Picking one from the middle, you flipped through the first few pages in a rush, trying to find the right chapter.

"Just start with chapter one, it's no good to start in the middle." Al told you.You groaned and flipped back to the beginning, not too excited about all the small print you were seeing.

"Uh, Al and I are gonna go do some stuff, just wait here for a sec, okay?" Ed said.

You grunted in reply, too engrossed in the book- which was surprisingly intersting -to give a full sentence. You didn't even notice the sound of Al's armor as it clinked away.

But you did notice something else. Looking up, you gave a small yelp when you saw two big brown eyes staring back at you.

"Sorry!" The girl squeeked. "I didn't mean to startle you!" You looked at her more closely. Her hair brown and rather short, and she wore a pair of large glasses over her large eyes.

"I'm Librarian Sheska, sorry again for startling you." You shook your head.

"That's alright, I'm Akaro by the way." You told her, surprised at how easily you said your 'new' name.

"I was just wondering who was reading so many books! I've read these before, they're all about basic alchemy. Are you planning on taking the exam?" She asked. You nodded.

"Yeah, Ed got these for me."

"Oh! Mr. Elric is teaching you? Well then you're sure to pass! Mr. Elric is the youngest person to ever pass a state alchemist test!" Sheska told you with an excited squeek. You smiled.

"I hope so..."

"I'm sure you'll pass. Oh, I guess you might want to study though, sorry for bothering you!" Sheska said, walking away.

"It's okay." You called after her. Then, re-opening your book, you eagerly resumed reading.

* * *

Ed's POV- Akaro didn't even look up as you told him you and Al would be gone.

He must really want to be a state alchemist. At least he's doing it for good reasons you thought, thinking of all the jerks who just wanted military positions for power. You were glad you had friends in the military that were actually there to help people.

But people still call us dogs...

"What are we doing brother?" Al asked.

"To get the latest scoop on what's going on. Akaro needs to study, we might as well be too." You answered.

"So we're going to see Ross and Brosh?" Al asked.

"Who else? It's not like we'll get a straight answer out of Hughes, and there's no way in hell I'm asking Mustang." You answered.

"Brother," Al said sternly, "You should stop talking about Roy like that. He's really a good person." You rolled your eyes.

"Tch. Yeah, real _saintly_ guy, Roy. 'All women under my protection are safe. But to be undermy protection, I must ask you wear a mini-skirt!'" You said dramatically, striking a pose and giving Al a mock-salute. Al shook his head and sighed.

"You need to act more mature if you're going to teach Aka." He said. You blinked a bit before giving him a suspicious look.

"Hey, you've called him Aka before, I heard you. What's that about?" Al's armor straightened up a bit.

"Uh, he mentioned something about people calling him Aka as a nickname." He said quickly. You raised an eyebrow.

"Why would he want a girl's name?" Al shrugged. "Aka also means red. Akaro said something about liking strawberries." He said.

"So they call him red...because he likes red fruit?" You asked slowly. Al shrugged again.

"I guess." was his simple answer. You decided to put it off for another time, because the two of you had finally reached Ross's office.

Knocking, you were answered by Brosh, a young man with messy dark-blonde hair.

"Oh! Mr. Elric sir!" He said surprised, giving you a salute. You waved you hand up.

"At ease. Is Ross here?" You asked.

"In here boys, come on in." Called a voice from inside. Brosh opened the door wider and admitted you and Al.

A woman with cropped black hair and dark eyes sat at a small desk, with a nameplate that had 'Lieutenant Maria Ross' engraved into it.

Ross stood for a moment and gave you a salute before sitting down and smiling.

"It's good to see the two of you are okay. How have your trips been going?" She asked warmly. You shrugged.

"They've been better. We got lost around Winderscup and ended up in Trezanga." Ross winced.

"I've heard of Trezanga, it's not a place you'd want to be comissioned." You laughed.

"Yeah, no kidding. We had to help a guy escape from there." She looked shocked.

"Really? Why?"

"I'll tell you about it later, but right now, I need information." You said, trying to speed this up. You didn't know how fast Akaro- Or I guess Aka now would finish that book, and you wanted to be back before he did. Ross nodded.

"Just name a subject."

"How about Scar?" You asked, sensing Al stiffen behind your chair. He needs to be less attached you thought. Ross was shaking her head.

"We haven't heard from him in a while. We think he's taking this time to help out those refugees you were talking about. No alchemist deaths have been reported either." She said.

Not yet at least... You thought, thinking about Aka's father. (yeah, ed's gonna start calling you aka now)

Poor guy, I wouldn't wish that on anyone you thought, not sure if you were talking about Hojo or Aka. Probably both.

"All right, anything out of the ordinary?" You asked. Ross studied her desk.

"Not that I'm aware of, but there has been some talk of a conspiracy building." She said.

"Oh yes, uh-I heard about it to." Added Brosh, trying to help. You rolled your eyes.

"So? Since when _doesn't_ the military have a conspiracy after them?"

"Since most of them are suspected as murderers." Said Ross quietly. You looked up in surprise.

"I thought you said there wasn't-"

"I said there hadn't been any alchemist deaths _recently._ Most of these suspects are for deaths that occured half a year ago." Ross interrupted quietly. You studied your hands for a moment before standing.

"Thank you for the update report Lieutenant Ross." She nodded and gave you a salute.

"It was my pleasure Sir. Now, what about this Trezanga fellow?"

"Oh, him. His father worked for the state, and now he wants to. We're training him to be a state alchemist." You said. Ross looked surprised for a moment before smiling.

"Yes, well, good luck with that." You nodded.

"We'll see you later, kay?" You said. She and Brosh nodded. Exiting the office, you made a mad dash towards the library.

* * *

Aka's POV- You were surprised to turn the page and see...nothing.

Whoa, I'm already done? Since when do I read that fast? You thought in amazement. Picking up another book, you started reading it as well.

And finished it.

Picking up a third book, you read through it and were on the last few pages when Ed and Al came back.

Looking over you shoulder, Ed gasped.

"Hey, that's not the book you were suppossed to read!" He said accusingly. You turned and glared at him.

"Get a grip, I finished the last one so I figured I'd just read this one to." You snapped back.

"And you're almost done?" He asked. You shrugged.

It was confusing you to. You'd never read much, and when you did it was at much slower pace than this.

"Maybe it's because I only read books on alchemy." You said aloud.

"What do you mean?" Asked Al. You shrugged.

"I never needed to read in Trezanga, and when it was, it was only from alchemy books."

"Are you telling you've never read anything other than alchemy?" exclaimed Ed.

"I guess..."

Ed shook his head in disbelief. Looking over at the stack, he muttered. "That was actually supposed to last you a week, but at the rate you're going..." He broke off sighing.

"I guess this means I'll have to train you in lightning sooner than I thought." He told you. You blinked in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I wasn't planning on doing it for a couple of more weeks, but seeing how you're browsing through books anyway, I don't see why we can't add somehing extra." You smiled.

"Thanks, this is great!" You exclaimed. Ed smiled back.

"Well, you'd better get some-oh crap!" he broke off, smacking himself in the head.

"What's wrong Brother?" asked Al. Ed muttered something to the floor.

"What?" you asked. Ed looked up and gave you a guilty look.

"I don't know where you'll sleep..."

* * *

oooh! what a juicy ending! well, i'll leave you now to yearn for another story. until then!

-zago


	9. First Night

ah jeez...looks like i've been dead for a while. but i got so much written! seriously, i'm gonna update like four times tonight. or, at least, that's what i'm gonna try to do. anyway, let's get on with it-

i'm zago

ed is ed.

aka is an ishbalan named aka.

zago owns aka.

zago doesn't own ed.

zago wouldn't mind being owned by ed. but she's not.

* * *

**-----Part 9 - First Night-----**

You stared at Ed, a little dazed. "What?" you asked numbly. Ed turned his sheepish look to the floor.

"I don't know where you'll be sleeping." He mumbled.

"Brother, I can't believe we forgot!" Al exclaimed. You were the first to recover.

"No big, is there a couch I can crash on or something?" you asked. Ed looked thoughtful.

"Well, yeah I mean there are couches around Central, but I don't know if that would work..." he said. Then he snapped his fingers.

"I got it! Al and I have a sort of dorm here, its not all that big, but there's a couch in there. Why don't you stay there?"

"Brother, Aka doesn't have to do that, he can have my bed. Its not like I really need it." Al added softly. You shook your head.

"I don't care if you don't need it. I may be a freeloader now, but there's no way in hell I'm taking your space. Keep your bed, I'll just crash on the couch."

Ed shrugged. "Whatever, your loss." He said, more to the air than you. You rolled your eyes.

Gee Ed, thanks a lot for caring you thought sarcastically. Then you grinned evilly.

"Okay then, but for your sake I hope your room isn't far." You said evilly.

Ed looked confused. "Why's that?"

"Oh, nothing, just...remember the race!" You said, breaking off into a run.

* * *

Eds POV- "Oh nothing, just...remember the race!" Aka shouted before dashing off.

The race? What's he...?

"Oh shit, AKA YOU TRAITOR!" You yelled.

"What's wrong brother?" Al asked hurriedly. You glared at the pile of books.

"I lost the race, remember?" you said, recalling the dash to the library.

"Yeah, so why-oh." Al finished. "Well, its your own fault for giving him so much work brother." You glared up at him.

"What is that supposed to mean? You remember how hard we had to study for this test! If you ask me, Id say were already going easy on him!"

"Maybe," Al replied, "Or maybe he's just learning it faster than we did."

That's true You thought to yourself. He read those books in record time, and he says it was easy!

Outloud, you said, "Yeah, well, you're still helping me carry the books."

"What? That's not fair, I'm not the one who lost the race!" Al cried. You shook a finger at him.

"Yeah, but you didn't beat Aka either, so technically we both lost."

"Brother, your logic doesn't even make sense." Al said matter-of-factly. You snorted.

"Fine. How's this then? You help me carry the books, or the next time you get broken, you can fix yourself!" Al grumbled, but picked up some of the books.

"This is all I'm taking brother, no more and no less." He told you, walking off before you could reply. Rolling your eyes, you picked up the remainder of the books and trail after him.

* * *

Akas POV- Heh heh, serves Ed right for giving me so much damn homework you thought evilly. Then you realized something. Coming to a quick stop, you looked around carefully.

Uh-oh you thought. I'm lost! Kicking yourself for your own stupidity, you tried desperately to find something familiar.

Suddenly, you felt a sharp pain in the back of your head. Turning around, you saw a book on the floor nearby.

"Ow what was-**OW!**" You yelled as another book hit you straight in the face, knocking you backwards.

"Ha! That's what you get for trying to make a butler out of me!" Came Ed's voice.

Growling, you shot up and threw a book in the direction of his voice.

"Ow! Hey, what'd ya do that for?" Yelled Ed. You glared at him.

"Take a wild guess dumbass!" You yelled. "What you throw gets thrown back!"

"Ed, Aka, please stop fighting!" Al begged. You and Ed continued to glare at each other. Al sighed.

"I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice..." He said. Then, faster than you could realize what was going on, Al had picked Ed up and thrown him over his shoulder, and you were now being carried under his arm.

"Al! Put me down!" Yelled Ed.

"In a second brother." He said calmly. You and Ed struggled in his grip, but he gave no signs of letting go. Finally, you sighed and gave up, letting Al drag you down the hallway.

After a while, he stopped in front of a door and threw you and Ed in it. You landed on a bed, and Ed...landed on top of you.

Blushing furiously, you threw him off and made a dash towards the door, but Al closed it before you could make it. Slamming your fist onto the door, you yelled,

"Al! Let us out!"

"Only when you and Ed have said sorry to each other. I'm going to go talk to Armstrong." Al replied calmly.

"What? You're just going to leave me behind? I thought you'd never distrust our brotherly bond!" yelled Ed. Al sighed through the door.

"Funny how you never bring up that brotherly bond unless you want me to do something for you. It's only for a few minutes Ed, you'll live."

Ed tried to protest, but you could hear the clanking of Al's armor move away.

"Shut it Ed, he's already gone." You said, tossing a pillow at his head. (is it me, or did that freakishly rhyme?)

Ed glared at you and threw the pillow back. You caught it in mid-air and ran towards Ed ready to hit him with it. Ed seized another pillow and blocked it, so you tried to hit lower. Ed blocked that to, but this time he sent a fist towards your head.

Stepping back, you let it swipe air as you took advantage of his lack of balance, throwing yourself at his stomach and knocking him over. Standing over him, you slammed a pillow into his face with an evil grin.

"Ha, score for me midget!" You yelled. Ed's body seemed to freeze.

Then, in movements faster that you could imagine, Ed shot up and pinned you to the ground...knocking your glasses off in the process.

Ed stopped over you, his gold eyes boring into your now-revealed red ones. You hurriedly tried to shut them, but you knew it was already too late.

Crap You thought. Opening one eye, you saw that Ed was still staring at your face.

"Uh, Ed?" You asked softly, "Could you, um-get off me?"

Ed scrambled off of you, but kept a fixed gaze on your eyes.

"Your an Ishbalan?" Ed asked, still staring. You nodded, wishing you could look away from his eyes.

"How...and alchemy...what the heck...?" He stammered, as if unsure which question he wanted to ask first. He blinked in confusion, and you were finally able to look away.

"I was born Ishbalan, but that doesn't mean I practice their beliefs." You said.

Ed still looked confused, so you continued.

"I was just a baby when my village was attacked. My real parents must have left me behind trying to escape. Hojo was one of the alchemists sent by the State. He found me and got me out of there."

"So an Ishbalan was adopted by an alchemist..." Ed said to himself. You nodded.

"Pretty much. I look like an Ishbalan, but I was raised on alchemy."

"So that's why you cover up? To hide your dark skin?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, so people uh-dont see my dark skin." You said hurriedly.

Great lying Aka, I'm _sure_ he believed _that_ You told yourself. But Ed seemed to buy it.

"I wondered about your weird clothes, I thought it was because of the cold weather but..." He trailed off. Another thought hit you.

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" You asked hurriedly. Ed shot you a surprised look. "I know Ishbalans are at odds with the military, but I have to make it to State Alchemist! If they know-"

"Know what?" Ed interrupted. Grinning, he said, "I don't know what you're talking about. I just know that I'm teaching a guy with eye problems and, uh-weird skin conditions alchemy."

You stared for him for a long time before smiling.

"Thanks Ed." Ed's face suddenly became serious again.

"Does Al know about this?" He asked. You gulped.

Yeah, just a different version of it You thought. Outloud, you said,

"Um, yeah my glasses fell off when I first met him." Ed nodded.

"Yeah, I'm kinda surprised he wouldn't tell me, but he has a soft spot for Ishbalans." You looked at the ground.

"Do you?" You asked softly. Ed stared at you for a while.

"Look at me Aka." He finally said. You obeyed.

"I don't care what you look like. You use alchemy for the right reasons, and you want to be a State Alchemist for good reasons. As long as that stays true, I can help you." He said, staring straight into your eyes. Then he broke into a smirk.

"But you'll have to get rid of that attitude if you want to be better than me." You smirked back.

"I already am." You said, making Ed cock an eyebrow.

Wow, he looks cute when he does that...SHIT! DAMMIT AKA, WAKE UP!

"We'll see about that tomorrow." Ed said. You blinked, confused.

"What does that mean?" You demanded, suspicious of Ed's plan. He just waved a hand at you.

"Oh, nothing, nothing." Ed said in an annoying voice.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"I don't hear any yelling, so the two of you have either stopped fighting or killed each other." Al said through the door. You were about to answer back, but Ed grabbed your arm. Putting a finger to his lips, he quietly led you to the side of the door. Catching on, you grinned and nodded at Ed.

"Ed? Aka? Are you in there?" came Al's voice again. Slowly, the door opened, and Al cautiously walked in.

As soon as you were sure he was totally in the room, you pounced on the door, slamming it shut. Ed jumped on Al's back and tore his head off, throwing it to you. You caught it and ran out the door.

"AKA! No fair!" yelled Al's head. Deciding you'd ran far enough, you stopped and flicked Al's 'forehead.'

"Yeah, well-it wasn't fair that you locked me and Ed in that room." You said smugly. Al's head groaned.

"I knew you'd come to get me for that!" He said sulkily. You grinned, but then made a serious face.

"Al, can you really see me right now?" You asked, no longer speaking in your disguised voice. Al seemed to notice.

"Yeah, why? What's the matter?" He asked. You dropped your voice to a whisper.

"There's something you need to know."

"Other than you being a girl?" He asked. You nodded, looking at the ground sadly.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but..." You trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

"I trust you Aka, please trust me." Al said. You looked at his head surprised.

"Its true." Al continued, "You're the first person who didn't know me before I became like this, but still treated me like a normal person. Its one of the nicest things anyone has done for me." You smiled.

"Okay Al, I trust you." With that, you pulled your glasses off your face, making sure that Al got a full look of your eyes. You heard his head gasp.

"An Ishbalan!" He whispered. You nodded and quickly put your glasses back on.

"Ed found out by accident, and I felt bad about not telling you." You told him, explaining how Ed had knocked your glasses off. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier. I told Ed you already knew." You said sadly, ashamed of yourself for not trusting Al.

Al's head was silent for a while. Then, finally, he said, "It's okay I guess. But this is the last secret, right?" Al asked suspiciously. You laughed.

"I hope so. Things are complicated enough as it is.

"What's complicated?" Came a voice. You froze and whirled around to seeHawkeye, strolling down the hall. In surprise, you accidentally dropped Al's head.

"Hey!" He cried before his head hit the ground with a clank.

"Sorry!"

Riza had now reached you and was regarding you with an interested look.

"You might want to walk around with your head on your own body Alphonse." She said calmly, bending down and retriveing Al's head from the floor.

"Don't blame me, it's Ed and Aka's fault." He said. You glared at his head.

"Well if _someone_ hadn't locked me in a friggin room with the jerk, I might have been a bit more merciful." You said smugly.

"Who're you callin a jerk?" came a yell. Looking around Riza, you saw Ed coming down the hallway, dragging Al's body with him. (i know in the anime the armor's waaayyy too heavy, but bear with me. pertend it's the right arm)

"Good point. You're more of a moron than a jerk." You said.

"Ha ha, _real_ funny Aka." Ed answered.

"You should act a bit more mature if you're going to tutor him Ed." Riza told him. "I'd advise leaving your brother's head alone until Aka is finished with his studies."

"Yeah! What she said!" Al added as Riza returned his head to the armor. You laughed.

"Yeah Ed, act a little more like my tutor!"

"Aww shut it Aka." Ed growled. Al put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Easy brother, we're all just a little tired. Why don't we just all go to bed." Al told him calmly. Ed rolled his eyes and shook off Al's hand.

"Yeah, whatever." Ed grumbled as he walked down the hall. When he was out of earshot, you sent a worried look at Al.

"Is he really mad?" You asked. Al's armor shrugged.

"Ed has a short temper, but he usually gets over it just as fast. He'll probably be back to normal in the morning." He told you reassuringly. Riza nodded as well.

"Yes, even Roy can't make Ed hate him forever. Fullmetal is quick to anger, but quicker to forgive." She said.

Quicker to forgive... You thought. That's what I need to work on

"C'mon, I'll take you back to the room." Al said. You smiled up at him, grateful to him for not asking if you were lost.

Too bad Ed can't think things like that through You thought sarcastically.

"I'm envious of you Aka." Al suddenly said. You looked at him in surprise.

"Of what?"

"Being so brave. When my mother died...I totally fell apart. Ed's the only thing that kept me togethter. But you...you've totally taken control of your life. You're being so brave, I wish I was more like you."

You shook your head. "No you don't, there's a ton of stuff about me you don't even know about. And I'm actually not handling things that well. There have been so many times where I almost went over the edge, and each time gets harder. I don't know how much longer-"

"But you haven't gone over yet." Al interrupted. "And I promise I won't let you. Ed won't either. Neither of us want you to lose Aka, and we're not going to let you. So don't even think about it!" Al finished fiercely.

You blinked for a few seconds, but then broke out into a grin. "Okay then, State Alchemist or bust!" You said, punching the air. Al laughed and lead you to the dorm room.

Knocking on the door, you were greeted by Ed's 'Open it yourself.' Rolling your eyes, you entered to find Ed lying on his bed, already half asleep.

Deciding not to wake him, you quietly walked to the couch and lay down, pulling one of the cushions under your head as a pillow. Closing your eyes, you heard Al's armor clank past you as he sat down on his own bed.

"Aka, are you sure you don't want to sleep here instead?" Al whispered. You pertended to be asleep already. Al sighed and lay down.

"Fine, your loss." He said, copying Ed's line from earlier. You couldn't help but smile into the pillow.

You tried to fall asleep, but were having trouble. You kept thinking about all the weird stuff that had been happening.

Ed, your disguise, Ed, the alchemy exam, Ed, and how...FLIPPIN FREEZING IT WAS!

Damn, why is Central so cold! You'd think with a fire alchemist here and all... You thought, shivering. You could pratically feel the goose bumps popping up.

Note to self: Never leave home without a blanket _ever again_

Just then, as if on cue, a blanket suddenly covered you.

What the- Opening your eyes just a little, you caught a glimpse of a golden braid dissappearing under the covers of Ed's bed. You smiled, curling up under the blanket.

Maybe Ed's not so bad... You thought as you finally drifted into sleep.

* * *

"Aka...AKA! WAKE UP!" Yelled a voice in your ear. Your eyes snapped open to see Ed hovering over you. You yelped in surprise, sitting up quickly and accidentally comming in collision with Ed's head.

"Ow! Watch it!" He cried, lifting his arm to grab his head.

"Well, don't wake me up like that!" You retorted, rubbing your own head. "Jeez, you'd think it was yourhead that was made of metal!"

"Yeah, well your skull isn't exactlyas soft as a feather either." Ed growled.

"Why are we up so early anyway?" You asked. Ed blinked in surprise.

"How do you know it's early?"

"Hello? Farmer guy, remember? We always wake up early." You answered, acting like it would be obvious. Ed shrugged and stood up.

"Well, get up anyway, we're doing some training." Now you were interested.

"Training? Ya should've said so! Let's go!" You said, seizing Ed's arm and dragging him out of the dorm, passing a laughing Al as you did.

"Hey Aka, any idea of why you did that weird lightning thing?" Ed asked. You two were now standing outside of Central in a large makeshift arena. You casually put your arms behind your head and smiled at Ed.

"What if I do?" You said teasingly. Ed looked surprised.

"You figured it out? Why didn't you tell me?" He demanded. You shrugged.

"You didn't ask." Ed sighed and rubbed his head.

"Alright then, I'll ask now. _How_ did you do the lightning thing, and without a circle?"

"I was struck by lightning." You said simply.

Ed stared at you for a while. "Lightning...?" He said, confused. You nodded.

"One of those weird assassins hit me with lightning, but my body absorbed it. I guess that means I have lightning in my body now, which explains the lack of need for a circle." Ed shook his head.

"Okay, apart from how weird that is, I guess it makes sense. But the question is, can you do it again?" You shrugged.

"I dunno, but hey- that's why you're here, right?" You said cheerfully.

Ed sighed started to walk away. "Hey! Where are you going?" You cried. Ed ignored you and continued to walk. You snorted and glared after him.

"Fine, big help you are!" You yelled before turning around to head back to Central. Just then, you heard a strange sound coming from behind you.

Turning around, you immediately threw yourself to the side as Ed's now-sword-arm came crashing down where you'd been standing.

"What the hell are you doing?" You yelled. Ed ignored you again and made a swing for your stomach.

Throwing yourself to the side again, you narrowly avoided the cut. Ed quickly recovered and made yet another swing for you, but this time you were ready.

Sidestepping his arm, you then jumped on his shoulder with one foot and launched yourself behind him. Without thinking, you made you hand into a fist and then spread your hand wide, forming a small ball of red electricity.

Grabbing the ball, the light spread into the form of a giant sword and then hardened to become a real one. You froze and stared at it, unable to beleive you'd really done that.

The sword was wider than your head, and sticking it in the ground, was almost as tall as you were, yet strangely light. The hilt was black with a cloth-like strip wrapped around it, and the blade was a shiny silver. Strange red markings ran up and down the blade.

"Nice, I expected something a little smaller, but this works to." came Ed's voice from behind you.

You jumped a bit, not realizing he'd moved. Then you glared at him.

"Why the hell were you after me?"

"To test you. I figured your impulse to stop me would make it easier to control your power. Though I gotta admit, I didn't expect _that_ to happen. I thought it'd be more of a lazer, like last time." Ed answered.

You stared at him, dumbfounded. He smiled. "C'mon, I think they're serving breakfast now." You smirked and lifted your sword to poke it in Ed's face.

"Fine, but there better be pancakes." You said.

Ed let out a forced laugh and nudged the sword away from him. "Uh...yeah-sure thing Aka." He said a bit shakily as he started off towards the kitchen.

You started to follow, but stopped looking at your sword.

"Um, Ed? How do I-"

"You should be able to absorb it back into you body." Ed answered without even turning around.

Gripping the handle again, you squeezed it and watched as it glowed a red light and shot into your hand. You let out a low whistle.

"Hurry up! As soon as breakfast is over we get right back to work!" Ed called. You grinned and ran to catch up with him.

"You're such a slave driver." You said sarcastically. Ed glanced at you and smirked.

"Only with annoying people." You were about to say something when...

* * *

...i popped out and killed you all! kidding, that would make a really short series! anyway, i just wanna say sorry again for the lack of updates. damn pink hippos...JUST TRY AND DISTRACT ME NOW! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!...more maniacal laughter...some more...pant okay, i'm done.


	10. Days at Central

hello all! it's your lovely writer, zago! back from the grave! with wepons! er- scratch that last one. anyway, let's go through this so my ass doesn't get sued-

i don't own FMA

Hiromu Arakawa does.

she's fucking awesome.

and so am i. but she's even _more _fucking awesome.

beacause she gave us Ed.**

* * *

**

**-----Days At Central-----**

A hand came down on your shoulder. Giving a small yelp, you whirled around to see-

"Al! Dammit, you scared the crap out of me!"

"Sorry." said Al. "You seem kind of jumpy, are you alright?" asked Al. You glared at Ed, who had somehow put many feet between you.

"I dunno, ask Mr. Stabbing-you-makes-you-better-crap." You said, glaring at Ed.

"You attacked him? Brother, what were you thinking?" Al asked, shocked. Ed groaned and rubbed the back of his head.

"Gimme a break Al! You know that acting on impulse is the easiest way to learn something! Look how I became a State Alchemist!"

"So you never think things through, you just act on impulse? That explains a lot." You said flatly. Ed looked up and glared at you.

"Hey, that's not exactly the kind of tone I'd take with you tutor!" He hissed. You snorted and started to walk off.

"Whatever, this pupil's going to eat. Some dimwit tutor didn't let him sleep long enough."You called over your shoulder.

You heard Ed give another angry growl. Stopping and turning to look at him, you said, "Uh, Ed?"

He just glared at you.

"Thanks." You said before entering cafeteria.

Ed's POV: You stared at Aka as he disappeared through the doors.

"What's with this guy?" You asked. Al turned to you.

"What do you mean brother?"

"One minute he's acting like Colonel Jackass, and the next thing I know it he's acting all damn thankful. He needs to make up his mind!" You said angrily. Al just sighed.

"Don't forget what Aka's going through. A lot has changed in such a short time. It was only two days ago that his life was normal, I'm surprised he's made it this far." You blinked and looked at the ground.

"Yeah, I guess we weren't too easy to be around after Mom died." You said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, but Aka's handling it better than we did. But he needs us, and I don't want to lose him brother." You looked up at Al and grinned.

"You're beginning to like him, aren't you?" Ed asked. Al nodded.

"He seems like a great friend. I want to be his." You shoved your hands in your pockets and headed for the cafeteria.

Yeah...me to.

Your POV: Well, at least I found the cafeteria you thought. But maybe you should've waited for Ed...

A lot of the guys were giving you strange looks.

"Akaro!" Came a yell. Looking over, you saw Hughes waving at you from a faraway table. You waved back and walked over to him.

"So, I heard you and Ed did some training this morning." said Hughes as you sat down across from him. You looked at him surprised.

"Really? I didn't think anyone would notice." Hughes broke into a grin.

"Are you kidding me? It's not everyday that an alchemist as well known as Full Metal takes a student. Now everyone is expecting you to pass the exam." You groaned and let your head fall to the table.

"Oh, that's just great, because I wasn't _nervous_ to begin with!" You whined. Hughes laughed and patted your head.

"Just hang in there kid, if worst comes to worst, you'll be the most well-known failure!" You lifted your head a bit to glare up at him.

"Gee, you sure do know how to cheer a guy up." You said sarcastically. Hughes laughed again, but quickly stopped when he heard your stomach growl.

"That's a pretty impressive sound kid, when's the last time you ate?" He asked. Despite your anger, you were touched by his words.

"I dunno...yesterday afternoon?" You guessed.

"What? Ed's even more nuts than I thought!" He cried.

"Hey, you're not so sane yourself Hughes!" Came a voice. Looking up, you saw that Ed had finally decided to follow you. Hughes waved a finger in his face.

"Honestly Ed, how do you expect your poor student to learn alchemy on an empty stomach! He says he hasn't eaten since yesterday afternoon!" You blushed and quickly intervened.

"N-no! I mean, I was just guessing, I probably ate more than that!" You said hastily. Ed frowned. "The last thing I remember seeing you eat were those peaches, and you only had-"

But his voice was cut off as another growl came from your stomach. You blushed again and quickly looked away.

"Aka, you should have said something if you were hungry, we'd be happy to get food for you." Al said, but you shook your head.

"How many times do I have to tell you guys?" You asked, "I know I'm kinda a freeloader, but that doesn't mean I have to be lazy. If I'm hungry, I'll get food myself. Actually, I wasn't really hungry until a few minutes ago."

Hughes smiled and patted your head again. "Whatever you say kiddo. Just call me if Ed looses it." He said, before walking off.

"I think someone else already lost it!" Ed yelled after him. You laughed and turned to Al.

"So um, how _do_ you get food around here?"

"Just stop by the kitchen window and tell them what you want. They'll give you the food, but you have to return the tray when you're done." Al told you. You nodded and followed Ed, who was already halfway to the kitchen window.

"Just a chicken sandwich or something." You heard him say. The cook nodded and slid him a red tray with a sandwich. You were up next.

"Umm...just a cheese and roast beef sandwich please." You said, a little worried they wouldn't have it. But a few seconds later, a tray was slid to you, and you went to join Ed. Al sat down next to you.

"You're coming along faster than I thought you would Aka." Said Ed between chews.

You nearly choked on your food. "Really?"

Ed nodded. "Yeah, if you keep this up, you'll be ready for that test in no time!" You sighed and put down your sandwich.

"I hope so, because we don't really _have_ time."

"It's okay Aka, I'm sure three weeks will be enough time. You're already a good alchemist." Al said encouragingly. You smiled up at him.

"Thanks Al, but- you do realize that you've never even seen me _try_ alchemy, right?"

"Well-uh-" Al stammered, making you and Ed laugh.

"It's no big Al, trust me, you're right on the mark." Ed said. You looked down and blushed a bit.

"You guys don't have to make up a bunch of crap for me..." You muttered. Ed rolled his eyes and nudged your shoulder.

"C'mon! It's a compliment! And when it comes from your tutor, you'd better believe it!" Ed scolded. You smiled weakly and finished your sandwich.

This is going to be an interesting three weeks

* * *

A week and a half later, you were beginning to believe Ed. Ed had set up a schedule with you:  
Alchemy Practice before breakfast,  
Research until Lunch,  
Hand-to-Hand combat until Dinner,  
and then whatever Ed felt like having you do.

You didn't want to brag, but you could tell that you were improving- fast to. And your fighting had gotten better as well. You'd been okay before, but your strategies had always just been to try and beat the other guy to a pulp. Now your strategies were more thought-through, and your attacks were becoming more and more effective.

Ed had even let you use your sword a bit- which you loved. You soon realized that your sword could be used in the frontlines as well as shoot long distance attacks. Most of these attacks were lightning based, and Ed soon realized that anything you would conjure without a circle would probably be lightning-based.

In fact, to conjure up something without lightning, you needed a circle. You were worried about this, but Ed said it was fine.

'Look at Roy- He can't do anything without his glove and he still passed.' He'd said. You couldn't tell if he was trying to encourage you, or was just trying to insult Roy.

Either way, you were still a little nervous. No, scratch that, you were _really_ nervous. You hadn't gotten much sleep because of it either. You and Ed always went to bed kinda late, but you could never fall asleep, so you'd sneak out to do some late-night studying in the library. Every day the test got closer, and everyday Ed's lessons got harder. Al said you were passing with flying colors so far, but you still wondered about the final test.

You figured that with less than two weeks left, Ed would be pushing really hard now. So you were surprised when he announced that today was a day off.

"What? What about training? I can't take a day off!" You exclaimed. You were sitting in the dorm with Ed and Al. Black Hayate was curled up on your lap because Riza had asked you to watch him. You didn't mind, you really liked dogs. And Black Hayate was so cute!

"Ed, the test is right around the corner! If I'm not ready-"

"You're going to be ready for it whether or not you take the day off. But you'll never be able to pass it if you're so nervous!" Ed interrupted. You glared at him.

"I'm not nervous!"

"Yes you are Aka, and I don't blame you." Al said. Ed nodded.

"Yeah, we were scared as hell for our exam, and we had months to prepare for it."

"All the more reason for me to-"

"_Take a day and relax_." Said the brothers in unison.

"But-"

"No buts Aka. Besides, you won't get very far if your tutor isn't here." You gave him an annoyed look.

"Oh I get it, you're cutting my studies so you can go blow off the day in the city." You said scornfully. Ed gave you a cheesy grin.

"Yep! And you're comin' with me!" He said.

"WHAT?" You cried.

"You heard me, you haven't left Central since we got here! It's about time you actually saw real people!"

"Oh, so you don't count as a 'real person?' I already knew _that_." Ed just smirked.

Damn, he's getting used to my sarcasm, it was kind of fun pissing him off You thought.

Over the last few days, you'd found yourself enjoying Ed's company more than his lessons. And even after his lessons, the two of you hung out and talked with each other. You'd never really had friends back in Trezanga, but you felt like you and Ed were close friends now. You were close friends with Al too of course, and a lot of he other military personel like Riza and Hughes, but Ed just felt...more special. You sighed.

"Fine, let's go then." Wait- You suddenly thought, Hanging around town with a guy? Some girls in Trezanga did that...what'd they call it...? It was something like a...date?...CRAP!

* * *

"Uh...Ed?" You asked as he dragged you through the halls of Central.

He didn't stop walking, but looked back at you. "Hm?"

"Uh...where exactly are we going...?" You asked. Ed just grinned.

"Can't tell ya!" He said suspiciously. You groaned. Oh no, he's planning again... You'd learned from a few 'pop quizzes' that whenever Ed planned something, it was either

A: Painfull, B: Illegal, or C: Both.

Ed led you outside and nearly made you trip as he dragged you down the many white steps.

"Jeez Ed, slow down!" You muttered, narrowly avoiding another fall.

"Huh?" Asked Ed. Raising your voice bit, you said, "I said slow-ahh!" You suddenly triped on one of the steps and fell forward...right on top of Ed.

"Ow!" He yelled as he hit the ground. You let out a small 'umph' as you fell onto Ed's warm back. A wave of tiredness suddenly came over you, making you regret all your late-night studying.

"Uh...Aka?" You heard a groan. Snapping back into reality, you blushed and quickly rolled off of him, standing up. Ed gave another groan and sat up, glaring up at you.

"What was that for?" He demanded. You glared back.

"I didn't do it on purpose! If you hadn't been dragging me so fast I wouldn't have fallen!" Ed grumbled and looked at the ground. Then, he suddenly reached up and grabbed you hand. You blushed as you felt his fingers lock in yours.

"Ed, what're you-" You squeaked. Ed just grunted and tried to pull himself up using your hand. You quickly shifted your weight backwards to keep from falling on top of him again. After standing up, Ed just brushed himself off and acted like nothing had happened.

Maybe it _is_ a good thing he doesn't know I'm a girl You thought, realizing how embarrassed you alone were.

"Aka, you comin?" asked Ed. You quickly nodded and jogged up to him, trying to act like nothing was wrong.

You and Ed were now quite a ways from Central, you couldn't even see the building anymore. And so many people! You thought. You were a little more used to being around a bigger group of people, but it still made you dizzy. Or maybe that was the tiredness. But you weren't about to let Ed know that. Trailing him like a lost puppy, you tried to make him tell you where the two of you were going.

"Give it up Aka, I'm not tellin!" Ed finally yelled. You rolled your eyes.

"You have to tell me _something_! What if I get lost?" Ed looked back and grinned.

"Then this trip will be fun after all." You glared and smacked his shoulder.

"_Not_ funny!" Ed just chuckled and kept walking. Eventually, you came to a marketplace that bordered the river. You couldn't stop gaping at all the strange things.

I'm _definitely_ not in Trezanga anymore... To your surprise, you realized that Ed had suddenly disappeared. Looking around frantically, you didn't see him anywhere.

That jackass ditched me! You thought angrily. Just as you were about to throw the nearest person into the river, you felt a tap on your shoulder.

Whirling around, you saw Ed standing there with a strange package in his arms. Glaring at him, you socked him hard in the stomach.

"Where were you? I'd thought you'd left!" You practically screamed at him. To your surprise, Ed actually looked guilty.

"Oh...sorry. Didn't mean to...here." He finally said, shoving the package into your arms. You blinked in confusion.

"Open it!" Ed said excitedly. Carefully unwrapping the package you gasped as-

A beautiful picture frame came out. It was black with silver words at the bottom that read: 'Never Forgotten.'

"Ed..." You gasped, unable to say anything else. Ed smiled.

"I noticed how you kept looking at that picture of you dad, I figured you'd want a safe place to put it so it wouldn't get broken. You looked at him, surprised.

"Do I really look at it that often?" You asked skeptically. Ed nodded.

"Yeah, but don't sweat it. After our mom died, Al and I pretty much tore up three scrapbooks looking at her pictures." You knew he was trying to reassure you, but instead you felt guilty. "What's wrong?" Asked Ed, seeing your face take on a sad look. You met his gaze with worried eyes.

"Have I...made you and Al...remember you mom...too much?" You asked slowly. Ed looked shocked for a moment, but then gave you a faint smile.

"I guess so, but it's okay. I don't mind thinking about her. So, cheer up, kay?" You nodded and gave him a weak smile. Just then, you heard a loud shout and many cries of 'THEIF!'

* * *

Ed's POV: "THEIF!" Someone shouted. You and Aka quickly turned around to see a man running in your direction, carrying a lot of expensive-looking things. Gritting your teeth, you were about to charge in and stop him, but Aka was way ahead of you. You watched as he ran towards the theif. Just as he came within a few feet in front of him, Aka ducked down and swung his foot in a circular motion, kicking the thief in both ankles and making him trip.

The stolen items flew out of the thief's hands, and Aka stumbled backwards trying to catch them all. But as he tried to catch the last item, his foot slipped on the edge of the street, and Aka went tumbling into the water.

"AKA!" You yelled, throwing off your coat and quickly diving in after him. Ignoring the pain in your eyes, you scanned the water, hoping to catch a glimpse of Aka. Finally, you saw him, floating a few feet from the surface. Swimming over to him, you pulled his arm over your shoulders and grabbed his waist, kicking upwards.

You hit the surface and pulled Aka with you as you swam to shore. Climbing up, you pulled Aka after you. Slumping against a nearby wall, you let Aka fall on top of your chest as you gasped for air.

* * *

Aka's POV: You heard Ed scream your name before you plunged into the freezing river. Everything seemed to go dark, and you couldn't seem to move your body. You tried to swim, but your tiredness suddenly increased, making your body numb. With every passing moment, things grew colder and darker. Just when you thought you couldn't get any colder, something warm touched you, engulfing your cold body like a fire under an ice cube. Your body eventually heated back up, but you still felt so tired...and the warmth was so soft. You wanted to just relax, but a nagging voice in your head told you to stop being a weakling and wake up already.

Using as much strength as you could, you opened your eyes and tried to focus where you were. The sound of the river was farther away now, so you had gotten out of there. But now where were you? And why was your body moving up and down...?

AW SHIT! Full realization smacked you hard as you recognized Ed's coat under your chin. Blushing furiously, you tried to move off of him, but your body was still tired, so you failed miserably. Finally giving up, you slumped back onto Ed, getting ticked off as you felt his laughter through his chest.

"Take it easy Aka, the fatigue is probably just catching up with you from all the training. See? I told you ya needed a day off." He said. You sighed.

"Yeah cough and all it gets me...is a dip in the river." You gasped out, coughing in-between words. Suddenly, you remembered something. "My cough frame...?"

"Don't worry, it's safe." Ed assured you. You nodded into his chest and tried again to get up, only to be brought back down by Ed. "Cut it out Aka, if you keep pushing yourself like that, you're gonna get sick! Hang on, I'm taking you back to Central." Ed said forcibly. Before you could say (or cough) anything else, Ed had pulled you off of his chest and slipped his coat around you. Then, turning around, he pulled you onto his back. Grunting a bit, he stood up and started walking.

"Ed...no, I'm too...heavy." You said weakly. Ed shook his head.

"No you're not. Go ahead and rest, I'll worry about getting to Central." He said. You tried to say something else, but already felt yourself nodding off. Burying your head into Ed's shoulder, you fell asleep to the rhythm of Ed's walking...

* * *

aww... wasn't that cute! and check me out- two updates in one day! whoot whoot!

-zago


	11. Exam

and yet again, i update! now you guys can't complain.

disclaimer- i don't own fma. don't sue me.

but i do own aka. you can't sue me.**

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**-----Part 11 - Exam -----**

Al's POV: I wonder where Ed took Aka You thought. They'd been gone for about half an hour, and you didn't really know when they'd be back. But apparently before you thought.

"Full Metal Sir! What happened? Are you alright?" You heard a voice say. Worried, you hurried to the front hall to see Ed standing there with Aka on his back. Both were soaking wet.

"Brother! What's wrong with Aka? Is s-he okay?" You said, so worried that you almost said 'she' right in front of Ed. Ed gave you a weak smile.

"We kinda fell in the river, and I think Aka was more tired than we thought. Could you help me get him back to the dorm?" Ed asked.

"Oh, sure." You said, taking Aka off of Ed's back and holding her bridal-style.

"Thanks." Said Ed, rubbing his shoulder a bit.

"Did you have to carry him far?" You asked as you started back to the dorm. Ed shrugged.

"Not really, he wasn't as heavy as I thought he'd be." He said. Of course not, girls are lighter than boys You thought, but didn't dare say it aloud. Finally reaching the dorm, you laid Aka down on the couch.

"Hey Ed, isn't that your coat?" You asked, realizing what she was wearing. Again, Ed just shrugged.

"Yeah, he was pretty cold when I pulled him out of the river, I figured he needed it more than I did." You turned to face Ed.

"The river is kind of cold this time of year, you should get some rest too." You told him, concerned. (just a head's up, when Ed and Al met Aka in Trezaga, it was late winter. so it's about early spring now. sorry, forgot to mention that) Ed nodded and crawled into his bed. Looking back to Aka, you went to pull Ed's jacket off of her. But to your surprise, she just jerked away and pulled the jacket closer around her.

Does she- _like_ Ed? You thought. You knew she and Ed were becoming good friends, but you didn't know _how_ good. It must be hard for her if it's true You thought sadly. Ed doesn't even know she's a girl Youmomentarily toyed withtheurge to tell Ed the truth. No! Aka might not make it to the exam if people know she's a girl, and if she did, it'd just make it harder for her Sighing, you stood up and left.

I hope you pass the exam Aka. Maybe then you'll be able to tell everyone the truth...

* * *

-----Fast Forward: 1 1/2 Weeks Later-----

Aka's POV: You got up early, nervous as hell. Exam Day, Exam Day, Exam Day You kept thinking nervously.

"Dammit! I'm too nervous! I'll choke for sure!" You groaned.

"Aww shut it Aka, we all know it won't happen!" Ed said, annoyed by your lack of confidence. You, Ed and Al were all getting an early breakfast. Just then, Hughes and Roy came up.

"Hey Aka! Ready for the big, hard, nasty, long, painful exam?" Asked Roy. You looked up and glared at him.

"I _was,_ and then you got here."

"Really? Well, glad I could help. So anyway, Full Metal- you're bet's on Aka, right?" Ed looked confused.

"What bet?" He asked. Hughes smacked his head.

"Oh man! You guys missed the last exam, didn't you? I guess you wouldn't know then..."

"Know what?" Asked Al. Roy smirked and held up a small bag. Shaking it, you heard a jingle of coins inside.

"Every exam, there's always a few well-known alchemists who compete. Here at Central, we all put little bets on who we think will win. This year, most of the bets are on Aka."

"What? Why'd you have to go and say that?" You cried, your head falling to the table. Roy and Hughes laughed.

"Why, do you want us to bet on someone else?" Asked Hughes. Your head popped back up.

"No! Well, maybe-I mean-" You broke off, blushing as everyone started laughing. Groaning, your head fell to the table again. "You guys are supposed to be encouraging me! Not freaking me out!" You whined. Hughes grinned and patted your head.

"Just consider it motivation!" He said cheerfully. "Elisia's my motivation! Hey! how about she becomes your motivation to! I have plenty of picture if you want to-"

"NO!" You yelled, trying to stop him. "Uh, I mean-don't you want her to stay _your_ motivation? It just isn't as special if she's someone else's." Hughes shrugged and returned the picture book he'd been drawing out.

"Well, good luck anyway!" He said walking off.

"Yeah, I've got a big bet on you're head, so don't screw up!" Called Mustang as he followed Hughes.

"Why me?" You whined.

"Aka, you'd better eat something. You need to eat some good food for the tests." Al told you. Ed nodded.

"Yeah, you're dead if you don't get some good food inside you." You sighed and finished your meal.

"We'd better go, the written exam is going to start soon." Al told you.

"What are you guys gonna do?" You asked. Ed grinned.

"We'll be waiting outside for you." You smiled.

"Thanks guys." Ed waved his hand.

"Don't waste your time thanking us! Get going before you're late!" You nodded and ran off, hearing Al's 'Good luck!' as you ran. Coming to a large set of doors, you entered to see long rows of desks. There were some papers in every seat, and some people were already there. Ignoring some of the weird looks the guys were giving you, you sat down and waited.

Finally, a man wearing a military uniform entered and announced, "The State Alchemist Written Exam is now in progress. You will have one hour to fill out the test in front of you. You may now begin."

Picking up your pencil, you read the first question:

_When using alchemy, what would you substitute for zircon if you had no supply for it?_

Sighing, you filled in the answer. This is gonna be a while...

* * *

-----Fast Forward: Two Hours -----

"How do you feel?"

"Like my wrist has turned into a mutant claw."

"Yeah, that pretty much sums up how I felt." Ed said nonchalantly. You grinned at him.

"Think I'll remember this to?" He nodded.

"Yeah, it's not something you can just forget."

"I remember the written test to. The questions were pretty hard." said Al.

"Oh yeah, you didn't drop out till the second test, did you?" You asked. Al nodded.

"Yeah, Al didn't have to do the second one...but it's not that bad!" Ed added hastily, seeing your worried look. Then, getting a thoughtfully look on his face, he bent down to some nearby bushes and grabbed some weird looking plants. Coming back, Ed suddenly grabbed your arm and pulled up the sleeve, rubbing the plant all over it.

"Ed! What're you-IS THAT POISON IVY?" You yelled. Ed ignored you and kept rubbing it on your arm. Jerking it away, you quickly pulled your sleeve back down.

"What the hell was that for!" you yelled. Ed just shrugged and looked away.

"We'd better get back, the second test will start soon." Al intervened, trying to avoid a fight. Still grumbling, you re-entered Central and headed for the room Ed had told you about. As you walked inside, you saw that they had made the room extremely dark. Squinting through your sunglasses, you saw that a strange chair stood in the middle of the room. For some weird reason, it only had one leg. Suddenly, a voice came out of the darkness.

"Don't worry, the chair will hold. It was made by a special kind of alchemy, and if you yourself are skilled in alchemy, it will let you sit there."

Slowly, you walked to the chair and carefully sat down. To your relief, it didn't fall over. So far so good... Squinting again, you saw a table in front of you with dark figures sitting at it.

"State your name." Came a voice near the left.

"Akaro Maron." You said. You felt a slight vibration from the chair.

"Do not lie, the chair can also tell us if you are."

A lie detector...crap, what will I do now? Thinking quickly, you said, "Well, I guess it's not my _official_ name. I was adopted, and I never really learned my real name."

"Adopted? Oh yes, I recognize your last name. Hojo, right? I had no idea he had a son..." Came a voice from the right.

"Well, it's been a while since he got military work." You said.

"I see. Why do you want to become a state alchemist?" You'd actually been expecting this one.

"There is something I do not know, and it concerns alchemy. If I become a State Alchemist, I will be able to understand that something." You knew you were being vague, but you had a feeling that going into detail was against the military's wishes. Maybe they knew it too, because they continued right into the next question.

"Why do you wear sunglasses indoors?" You wondered how to answer this, and then suddenly remembered something. During hand-to-hand combat with Ed yesterday, he'd made a mirror-like gadget and made the sun blind you of his incoming attack.

"My eyes were recently damaged by the sun. I keep seeing spots everywhere without my sunglasses."

"Really? And the clothes? It's rather warm to be wearing such clothing."

Oh crap, what am I supposed to- But broke off your train of thought, remembering Ed's Ivy-Attack in the park. Pulling up your sleeve, you saw that there was now a large red rash on your arm. Holding it up for the people to see, you said, "I got in some poison ivy, and I just can't stop scratching. I thought maybe if I wore a lot of clothes..."

"Interesting." Answered a voice. "You seem to be getting into a lot of accidents." You smiled weakly.

"Preparing for the Alchemy Exam isn't exactly a walk in the park." You heard a low chuckle from the middle of the table.

"True enough. You may leave now." It said in a deep, yet strangely carefree voice. (guess who) Nodding, you stood up and left. Going outside, you almost fell over as Ed and Al tackled you.

"Aka! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, you alright? I was kinda worried about the exam, did you-"

"I think I did okay guys." You interrupted. Grinning at Ed, you said, "Thanks Ed, you gave me some good answers." Ed smiled back weakly.

"Sorry about that. I was kinda worried you wouldn't have any ideas." You smiled, but then became serious again.

"You never told me what the third test would be."

"Well, that's because we don't know." Ed answered.

"What? I thought you-"

"The last test is called the 'Practical Exam.' But they change it for every exam, so past test takers don't know what it'll be." Al explained. Ed nodded.

"Yeah, for me, they gave us a practice area and told us to do what we wanted, but I know that's not what they did for the last exam." You sighed. I wonder what it'll be this time.

"Hey! Aka!" came a yell. Turning, you saw Havoc run up to you.

"Hey kid! Great job on passing the first two tests. Just got word from Roy that the next one'll be in about five minutes at the arena outside. See ya there!" You tried to say something, but Havoc was already walking away. You looked back at the Elrics with a worried face.

"Five minutes? I'm gonna be late!"

"Well then let's go!" Yelled Ed, running past you. You hurried to catch up and heard the clank of Al's armor as he followed.

I wonder what will happen now...but I've come too far to go back You thought.

* * *

Reaching the arena, you saw that you and only a few other alchemist from the earlier exams had made it. There were about five of you all together. Roy stood on the arena with a microphone in hand.

"Ladies! And guys I'm not trying to impress, I am Colonel Roy Mustang, otherwise known as the Flame Alchemist!"

"Gimme a break, what a narcissistic asshole." Grumbled Ed. You could have sworn Roy gave a glance in Ed's direction when he said that, but it was so fast that not even you were sure.

"For the Practical Exam," Roy continued, "all testers will face off against military personal. Whoever is left standing will become the next State Alchemist!" You heard a murmur of surprise from the military personal watching.

"Who will we be facing against?" Asked one of the testers. Roy grinned.

"Three State Alchemists. Myself, the Strong Arm Alchemist (that'sArmstrong in case you don't know)and the Full Metal Alchemist."

"What? Roy, you jackass! You never told me about this!" Ed yelled. Roy just gave him a smirk.

"I tried to find you, but you're just so short..." He said tragically. You smiled as you saw Ed's body go rigid.

Let's see...3...2...1-

"WHO YOU CALLIN SO SHORT THAT THEIR SHOE SIZE WOULDN'T FIT A BABY!" Roared Ed, trying to claw his way out of Al's grip. Roy rolled his eyes.

"Consider your pocketwatch in danger if you don't get up here." He said. Grumbling, Ed walked over and jumped up onto the arena. Armstrong was already there. Following the other testers, you went up as well. Looking across at the others, you saw Roy whispering something to Ed. Ed glanced in your direction and nodded at Roy.

What was that about...? But you didn't have much time to think about it, because a loud whistle was suddenly heard and the three State Alchemists charged forward.

Armstrong aimed a punch in your direction, and you rolled out of the way. You heard a loud cry and glanced back to see that one of the testers was already unconscious.

"Is this even legal?" You yelled, dodging another attack- one of Roy's this time.

"Beats me! Roy, I'm not going to jail with you if it is!" You heard Ed yell.

Getting sick of dodging, you made a fist and summoned your sword, using it as a shield to block Roy's explosion. Jumping backwards, you slammed your sword into the ground, sending a shockwave of red electricity towards the mob of alchemists. Ed, Roy and a few of the testers jumped to avoid it. But it hit Armstrong and another tester head on. The tester fell to the ground, but Armstrong's body just went rigid.

At least he's paralyzed You thought, quickly dodging another explosion. As one of the remaining testers stopped to catch a breath, Ed came up from behind him and hit him in the head with his metal arm, causing him to collapse.

Now it was just you, Ed, Roy and two other testers. Ed went after one of the two and Roy sent a spark in your direction, but swinging your sword like a baseball bat, you hit the spark and sent it spiraling backwards.

Roy sidestepped to avoid it, but it caught another alchemist head on. A second later, you heard a loud 'Oof!' and saw that Ed had knocked out the last tester. Then he turned and gave you a smile, Roy giving you a smirk as well. Walking over, he grabbed your arm and held it above your head, like you'd one a boxing competition.

"It is official! Akaro Maron will become the next State Alchemist!"

* * *

you know, i wondered what i could have done if Aka didn't pass the exams...

always questioningher own ideas-

zago


	12. Letter

ah ha! the fourth update today! you know, it took me two hours to get these last four chapters up. but it's not like you care. nope, you're probably just skipping this and skimming through the story. bitches, only i'm allowed to do that to people!

i own aka, but not fma. don't sue me, my lawyer can kick your lawyer's ass.

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**-----Letter-----**

Your ears went numb as an explosion of cheers sounded. Ed rushed up behind you and threw his arm around your shoulder, pulling you into a noogie.

"See? I told you ya wouldn't choke!" he yelled over the noise. Laughing, you broke out of his grip, only to be met by a mob of military personal. Hands shot out of nowhere, and you tried to shake as many as possible.

Damn! How many hands do they think I have? Trying to see through the crowd, you caught glimpses of Riza, Hughes, Roy, Armstrong, (now un-paralyzed)Havoc, Falman, Fuery, Sheska, Al and (barely) Ed.

Wow, they all came just for me you thought. These guys...are like my new family You'd never really thought of it before, but you realized that everyone you'd met since reaching Central had something about them that reminded you of Hojo.

Except Ed You thought, Ed has something...different You shook your head, clearing your thoughts. I'm being too serious, I just became a State Alchemist! Finally, after what seemed like an hour, the crowd lessened and you were able to make your way to Ed and Al. Ed was grinning like a maniac and even Al seemed to be smiling.

"I'm so happy for you Aka! Al exclaimed. You smiled up at him, but then turned to poke Ed in the forehead.

"What was Roy saying?" You asked.

"What, that he was an all-powerful alchemist? I hear that speech every day..."

"No, what he said to you before the fight. You were whispering." Ed blinked in surprise and scratched the back of his head.

"Well...we didn't want to tell you, but..."

"But what?"

"Well, since you and I have been training a lot, there have been a lot of rumors flying around that the military would go easy on you. So Roy was telling me not to attack you. That way it would seem more fair." Ed explained. Then he jabbed his finger over his shoulder at the Central building. "But enough about that! C'mon, let's get some victory grub!" He exclaimed. You rolled your eyes.

"Jeez Ed, I become a State Alchemist and you still can't keep your mind off of food." Al laughed as Ed smacked you over the head. "Liar! I just want you to get some rest!" He cried, trying to defend himself. You chuckled at his weak cover-up.

"Fine, let's go."

Upon entering the cafeteria, you were met by...yet another explosion of cheers.

"Is this going to go on all day?" You whispered to Ed. He shrugged back.

"I dunno, probably." You suddenly yelped as something wet hit your head. Turning around, you saw Havoc holding a bottle of champagne over your head.

"Great job kid!" He was yelling. "Drink up!"

"What? He's not old enough to drink Havoc!" Ed yelled. Hughes came up from behind you and Ed and put his arms on you guy's shoulders. "Don't sweat it guys, he's just kidding." He said. "Oh, and Havoc? Don't drink _too_ much, I'm leaving early tonight." You and Ed rolled your eyes as everyone else roared with laughter. Countless people came up to congratulate you. You were so busy saying thanks that you barely got to eat. Not that Ed noticed. If anything, he seemed to be trying to make sure no food would be left for you.

Ah...what a generous friend You thought sarcastically. Finally, as less people started coming up, you saw an opportunity to eat. But then Roy came up.

"Great job out there kid, I won a bundle on you." You smirked.

"Gee Roy, nice to know you care _so_ much." Roy chuckled and pulled out a box.

"Well, if that's how you feel, I could just take this watch somewhere else-"

"NO WAY! GIMME MY WATCH YOU WOMANIZER THIEF!" You yelled, snatching the box out of Roy's hands. Tearing it opened, you grinned as light caught the glint of metal. Ed and Al were hovering over you shoulder in a second.

"This is great!" Al exclaimed.

"Yeah," Ed said, "But mine's better."

"What? Liar, no it's not!" you cried.

"Yes it is!"

"No it's not!"

"Whatever, just put it on your belt!" Sighing, you did as he said.

"Not bad Aka!" Al exclaimed.

"Excuse me Elrics, but I need to talk to Aka in private for a moment." Roy suddenly interrupted. Ed looked at him suspiciously.

"About what..?"

"If he wants, he'll tell you later." Roy said. "Now if you'll excuse us..." not giving you time to protest, Roy grabbed your arm and pulled you out of the cafeteria.

What is with State Alchemists and pulling me around by my arm? I'm not a frickin dog!...Well, I guess I kinda am a _military_ dog now... Roy stopped in a hallway just past the cafeteria and undid a manila envelope from a clipboard he was carrying. You cocked an eyebrow in question, but he just shoved the envelope into your hands. Opening it, you pulled out-

"_My dad's letter?_" You asked, shocked.Roy nodded.

"It's rightfully yours, and the contents may effect where you will be posted."

Numbly nodding, you started reading the letter. Which each passing line, your eyes got wider and wider. By the time you were done, Roy would have called you a bug if you hadn't been wearing your glasses.

"Do you understand now?" Roy asked softly. Shaking yourself back into reality, you looked up at him.

"I need to talk to them before I make my post location official. I have to make sure they're okay with me helping them." Now it was Roy who cocked an eyebrow. "Are you telling me that you won't go if they don't want you to?" He asked. You smirked.

"No, I'm going whether they like it or not. I just thought I'd give them a warning." Roy chuckled.

"I see. You're dismissed then." Nodding, you made your way back to the cafeteria.

* * *

Walking in, you saw that everyone but the Elrics had left the party. Ed rushed over and started jabbing questions at you.

"What did Roy want? Was it a threat? Was it about me? HE SAID I WAS SHORT, DIDN'T HE?" You laughed and flicked at Ed's nose.

"Yeah, he said he'd accidentally given me the 'Ed sized' watch and that he'd have to order the bigger one."

"WHAT? WHERE IS HE, LEMME AT EM!" Ed yelled. Laughing again, you grabbed Ed's arm as he tried to rush out the door.

"I'm kidding Ed, he didn't say anything like that."

"Oh. Wait, you mean _you're_ calling me short?"

"Give it a rest Ed." Al interrupted. You gave Al a grateful smile as Ed grumbled to himself about 'everyone being out to minimize him.'

"So did everyone leave?" You asked. Al nodded.

"Yes, but they wanted to congratulate you." You gave a low chuckle.

"Yeah, I kinda gathered that. So what do you guys think you will do now?" You asked. Ed shrugged. "I dunno, I kinda wanted to go sleep, but-"

"He means the Stone Brother." Al interrupted quietly. Ed's grin faded and he looked at the ground.

"I guess...it's about time we got going again..." He said softly. The three of you stood in silence until you said,

"Can I come with you?" "

WHAT?" The Elrics yelled in unison.

"I want to come with you guys." You repeated. Ed shook his head vigorously.

"Aka, you don't get it! Weird stuff happens to us all the time! You could get really hurt!" Al nodded in agreement.

"He's right Aka. It's safer for you not to go. Besides, you need to find out why your dad was killed. You looked at the ground and smiled faintly.

"They may be the same thing."

"What do you mean?" asked Ed. You held up the manila envelope.

"Roy gave me my dad's letter. You guys should read it." The Elrics looked at it hesitantly. "Are you sure you want us to?" Asked Al.

"Of course!" You exclaimed. "You guys are my best friends, who else would read it?" Ed and Al exchanged a surprised look before grinning.

"Okay then, open it already!" Ed exclaimed. Pulling out the letter, you re-read it over Ed's shoulder.

* * *

_Dear Roy,_

_This letter is very likely the last time I will ever speak to you. If I am not there to see you in person, this letter will be delivered by my adopted child, Aka. Do not worry, Aka can be fully trusted. But Aka does not know the the contents of this letter, as it would cause danger. Because it concerns the Philosopher's Stone._

_I know I asked for a rest from duty, but it was really a reason to research the stone. I'm sorry for lying to you, but after Marcoh was so prosecuted for the stone I swore I would help him escape and bring down the people who so wanted him to suffer. I thought that by researching it further, I'd be able to understand what Marcoh's enemies were trying to do. But it seems that they are the ones who foresaw my actions._

_I was approached by a man who revealed to me that he was an electricity alchemist who could easily kill. He has threatened to harm Aka and the town that we live in if I do not give him the information I've learned about the stone._

_I will not let these crooked men have the information, but I cannot let the town me harmed either. I will try to give them a false lead, but I am not sure they will accept it. But whether or not I die in this task, I will not let my information die with me._

_By researching many different types of hybrid plants and comparing them with red water, I have learned that a plant called Virvaine can cancel the affect of red water. I am aware that this has nothing to do with making the stone, but it may mean that red water is in fact not a necessary ingredient after all. And after the threat made by the alchemist, I am sure that Marcoh's enemies want this information to disappear. I won't let them have there way. So I entrust this information to you, my friend. Use it well._

_Goodbye,  
Hojo_

_

* * *

_

When the three of you were finished, Ed slumped back into his seat. He and Al were silent for a while before Ed said, "You were right Aka, they are similar." You nodded sadly.

"Yeah, my dad was killed for info about the Philosopher's Stone. That means you guys are in danger to. Ed rolled his eyes.

"Heck, we knew that from day one."

"No, I mean I want to help you guys so you won't get hurt."

"Aka, that's cool that you want to help us," Al said,

"But we can take care of ourselves." Now it was your turn to roll your eyes.

"_Riiiight_. You're telling me you can keep an eye on _Ed_ twenty-four seven?"

"What does _that_ mean?" demanded Ed.

"I'm serious guys! This information puts us all in danger. So I say we all be in danger together. Besides, I want to help you guys get your bodies back." Ed smiled faintly.

"Aka..."

"I mean it Ed." You said firmly.

"So what you're saying," Al said, "Is that we should travel together so we can watch each other's backs?"

"That's the idea." You answered. Ed sighed.

"Well I guess there's no point in trying to stop you now...you're to stubborn." He said, murmuring the last part. You snorted and hit him over the head.

"Look who's talking." Al laughed as Ed groaned, rubbing his head.

"You know Al," he said, "I actually think that we're in more danger _now_ then we ever have been."

"Hey, are you-"

"Um, Aka? Can I talk to you outside for a sec?" Al interrupted. At first you thought he was avoiding a fight, but from the tone of his voice you could tell he was serious. Nodding, you followed him into the hallway. Al started to say something, but then Ed popped up behind you.

"Ed! This is a private conversation!" You scolded. Ed gave a fake pout.

"Fine." He grumbled, walking off. "I'll see you guys in the dorm." Shaking your head at his childness, you turned back to Al. "What's with you?" You asked.

"I don't want to talk about me. I want to talk about you." He answered.

"About what?"

"Well, now that you're a State Alchemist...I mean, if you're going to be traveling with Ed...don't you think-"

"You want to tell Ed I'm a girl?" You interrupted. Al shook his head.

"No, I want _you_ to tell him." You looked at the ground.

"I'm sorry Al, but...I can't. At least not yet."

"Why not? He already knows you're an Ishbalan!"

"Al, shush!" You hissed, "Someone might hear you!"

"Sorry." Said Al more quietly. "But I still think you should tell him." You sighed and looked up at Al with a sad expression.

"I know, and part of me wants to tell him, but- I lied to him Al! Ed's been one of the only friends I've ever had, and I lied to him! He'll probably hate me if I tell him..."

"And if you keep waiting, you'll be lying to him even more."

"But-"

"Listen Aka, before you couldn't tell him because you wanted to be a State Alchemist. Now you can't tell him because you don't want to hurt him. Those are both good reasons, but I really don't think Ed will hate you for not telling him."

"But what if he does?" you cried. Al sighed and put his hand on your shoulder.

"Aka, I _know_ okay?" "

Know what..?" you asked suspiciously.

"That you like Ed."

"Well yeah, he's my friend. Of course I-"

"No, I mean that you _like_ Ed." You turned bright red and quickly shrugged off Al's hand. "N-no I don't!" "Gimme a break, I know when people do and don't like my brother. Since you're not trying to kill him...you like him."

"Your logic is amazing." You said sarcastically, giving Al an annoyed look.

"I was kidding, I've noticed other things as well." Al retorted.

"Really? Like what?" You demanded.

"You let him steal your food, you like wearing his jacket, you're always smiling when he's around, you-"

"Okay! Okay! But that doesn't mean I _like_ him!"

"_Sure_...well anyways, I think you should tell him."

"I-I will...just not yet."

"Aka-"

"I have to think about this Al! I don't- I don't want to lose him." You said sadly. Al sighed. "Okay, I'll stop bugging you. Just promise to tell him soon, okay? Anyway, let's get to the dorm. Ed's probably waiting." You laughed.

"Yeah right, he's probably _asleep_ by now!" The two of you laughed as you returned to the dorm.

* * *

To your surprise, Ed _was_ still awake, but barely. He was sitting on the couch, his head was hovering over a large stack of books. Al went to his bed to sleep as you looked over Ed's shoulder to get a better look.

"Plant Alchemy?" you read.

"What's all this for?"

"Trying to find out more about that plant your dad mentioned." Ed answered.

"Really?" you asked, "Did you find anything?"

"Naw, must be some rare plant, I've gone through two books and found nothing."

"Need some help from a State Alchemist?" You asked teasingly. Ed grinned.

"Yeah, know any good ones?" You glared.

"Don't be a jerk." Chuckling, Ed passed you a book.

"Here, if you look hard enough, you might find a wax print. There was a jelly smudge in mine..."

"Gee, nice to know you're _so_ serious about this." Ed just chuckled again and turned another page. Sighing, you opened your book. You finished quickly, (fast reader, remember?) but didn't find anything about Virvaine in it. Annoyed, you picked up another book and started reading. Just as you were getting to the middle, you felt a weight fall on your shoulder. Looking aside, you blushed as you recognized Ed's golden hair.

"Uh...Ed?" You whispered. Soft breathing answered you.

Fell asleep... You thought, still blushing. I guess...I could let him sleep... Returning to your book, you quickly finished it. But when you reached for another, Ed snuggled closer to you. You stopped to look at him.

He looks so relaxed. I wonder- You stopped yourself, realizing what you'd just thought. Is Al right? Do I like Ed? Reaching over, you brushed some hair out of his face. Ed smiled in reaction, but then frowned in his sleep.

"Aka..." He mumbled. You jumped slightly.

He's dreaming about me?

"...I'm not _that_ short you traitor..." Ed murmered. You stared at him and stuck a fist in your mouth to keep from laughing.

He's dreaming I'm teasing him! Taking your fist out of your mouth, you grabbed another book and started flipping pages. Can't find Virvaine in this one either... was your last thought as you fell asleep.

* * *

Al's POV: Central was unusually quiet when you woke up. The normal sounds of people working was not heard. It's either really early, or everyone's tired from the party You thought.

Standing up, you were about to leave the dorm to see if you could find anyone. But as you passed by the couch, you stopped in your tracks and stared. Aka's head was resting on the couch arm, her dangling arm holding a book. Ed was sprawled out over Aka's back, his head laying on her shoulder.

Thinking fast, you grabbed Ed's shoulders and pulled him off Aka, dragging him to his own bed. Ed of course stayed asleep during the whole process.

At least they didn't wake up like _that_ You thought in releif. Aka murmured something in her sleep and rolled over...falling off the couch.

"Ahh!" She yelped as she hit the floor. She didn't cry out very loud, but Ed was jumping out of his bed like it was on fire.

"Aka!" he cried. "Are you-oh." He finished, realizing she was fine.

Oh, _now_ you wake up You thought, amused. Aka groaned and sat up, rubbing her head.

"Ow...why haven't I ever done that before?" She whined, using her disquised voice.

It's kind of sad how easily she makes herself sound like a boy You thougt.Outloud, you said, "Morning guys, are you hungry?"

"Oh yeah...I guess I should get some breakfast." said Aka. Ed grinned at the thought. "Yeah, let's go!" he exclaimed, rushing out the door. Aka turned to you and cocked an eyebrow.

"Has he _always_ been like this?"

"As long as I can remember. You should go get some breakfast to."

"Yeah, I'll-wait, what are you going to do?" she asked suspiciously. You laughed. "Nothing! That's Ed's thing, remember? Actually, could you tell Ed that I'm going to order train tickets?"

"Sure," she said, "But...can we get on a train _legally_ this time?" You laughed again, remembering your last train ride.

"I'll see what I can do." You told her. Aka grinned and quickly left to find Ed.

It's been more fun since Aka started being around you thought as you located a phone. I hope nothing bad happens to her

* * *

Ed's POV-You had already gotten your food and was sitting at a table when Aka came in and slid his tray besides yours.

"Took ya long enough. I'm almost done!" You said. Aka smirked.

"I didn't take _that_ long, you just eat faster than Roy's eyes on a mini-skirt."

"Gimme a break, it's impossible to be that fast in anything."

"Did someone say something about mini-skirts?" Came a sleepy voice. Turning around, you nearly choked on your food as you saw Roy...wearing purple pajamas with frilly pink cuffs.

"Nice...pajamas Roy." You said, trying not to choke. Besides you, Aka had erupted into a fit of laughter.

"Did you borrow Riza's clothes _again_?" Aka said between laughs. Roy frowned and picked at one of the frilly cuffs.

"Funny...I don't remember putting these on..."

"Of course you don't, you were too drunk." Came a disappointed voice from behind Roy. Leaning to the side, you saw Hughes walking up. Roy glared at him.

"Are _you_ the one who made me put these on?" he asked accusingly. Hughes waved a hand at him.

"Don't get mad, it's not healthy. Besides, these were the only pajamas I could find. All the others were blue..."

"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU GIVE ME ONE OF THOSE?" Roy yelled.

"Because these ones suit you _soooo_ much better." You told him. Roy glared at you and Aka broke out laughing again.

"Oh, hey guys!" Said Hughes. "Nice to see you up. Where's Al?"

You suddenly jerked up and looked around. Turning back to Aka, you asked, "Wasn't he with you?"

"Oh yeah," Aka said, "He wanted me to tell you that he was looking for train tickets." "Train tickets? Aww...don't tell me you guys are leaving already!" Hughes whined. You gave me a weak smile.

"We have been here for a while..." you said faintly. Hughes sighed.

"Poor Aka, you're leaving him all by his lonesome to be eaten by military dogs."

"Actually, I'm going with the Elrics." Aka told him.

"Huh?" exclaimed Hughes. "When did that happen?"

"Last night." You said, "But I'm still trying to find out how..." Aka glared and hit you over the head.

"_Not_ a good way to treat your fellow traveler." Roy put a hand to his chin in a dramatic pose.

"Hm...Full Metal and Aka traveling together...I wonder who will kill the other first?" Grinning, Hughes copied Roy's pose.

"I'll put my bet on Aka killing Ed." Hughes said, also copying Roy's speech. You glared at him as Aka beamed in victory.

"Traitors..." You hissed. They just smirked back. Suddenly, you felt a tap on your shoulder. Looking up, you saw Al standing besides you.

"Brother! I ordered- oh, hi Hughes! And um...Colonel..." Al trailed off. This time you joined Aka in laughter as Roy looked down at his shirt and made a face.

"Don't ask..." Was all Roy said.

"Oh, okay." said Al. "Anyways-I called the train station and reserved three tickets. We're leaving on the 2 'o clock train."

"That gives us a few hours...why don't we try to find Virvaine in the library?" Asked Aka. You nodded at him.

"Yeah, there's gotta be something about it here at Central."

"Virvaine?" Asked Hughes. "Isn't that-" Roy cut him off by kicking his leg. You looked at them suspiciously, but they just looked up at the ceiling like there was a pretty picture up there. You gave a heaving sigh.

"C'mon guys, let's go..."

* * *

Aka's POV-What was _that_ about? You wondered, reacalling Hughes' words. Do they know something? Reaching the library doors, you decided to think about it later.

Ed opened the door and started scanning bookshelves. You and Al followed suit. Plant Alchemy...Plant Alchemy...ah! Maybe this one will work Pulling out a book, you quickly flipped through the pages. Not in this one... You thought, reaching for another.

Five books later, you still hadn't found anything. Looking around, you saw the Elrics weren't having much luck either. Al kept flipping back and forth between the same book, and Ed had resorted to glaring at the bookshelf.

"Guys, why don't we get Sheska or someone to help us?" You asked. Ed looked in your direction and smirked, cocking an eyebrow.

"You sure you're not just looking for an excuse to see Sheska?" He asked teasingly.

Oh crap, not this again... You groaned inwardly.During your study time in the library, you'd run into Sheska a lot. You didn't mind, Sheska was the only other person at Central who could read like you did. But Havoc had taken it the wrong way and started a rumor that you had a 'thing' for Sheska. You'd been so worried about your identity slipping that you'd resorted to avoiding the girl. You felt bad, but was too determined to become a State Alchemist to think about it much. Shooting Ed an annoyed glare, you tossed one of your books at his head. It hit him straight on.

"Give it a rest Ed!" You yelled. Ed clutched his head in pain and back.

"Sheesh Aka, be quiet! This is a _library_, remember?" Ed hissed.

"Then choose a more appropriate place to make false accusations!" you hissed back. Ed was about to retort, but Al interrupted him.

"Guys! I think I found it!" Abandoning your argument, the two of you rushed to his side. Putting the book on the table, he stood back to look over you and Ed's shoulders.

_Virvaine-  
A rare plant used in early alchemy. Highly efficient for enhancing alchemic abilities. Now extinct._

"Extinct?" You gasped. "You've gotta be kidding me!" Ed shook his head, dumbfounded.

"It can't be...Al, how old is this book?" Al reached over your shoulder and flipped to the front of the book.

"...About sixty years..." He read.

"Maybe they found more since then." You said.

"How could something that's extinct just come back?" Ed asked, "It's not possible."

"It must be!" You cried. How else could my dad have studied it? And why would people kill him over and extint plant?" Ed got a strange look on his face and looked away.

"Aka...I'm sorry." He muttered. You sighed and looked at the ground sadly.

"I guess...it does seem impossible..."

"But it's got to be true!" Al retorted. Ed nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah, maybe there's something special about it...anyway, I don't think we're going to find out anything more about it. We might as well go pack, the train leaves in two hours." Nodding, you followed him and Al out of the library.

I hope they're right Dad...

* * *

gawd! that was a fucking long chapter! i'm tired just copying it! see, look how hard i try for you all!

the over-worked writer,

-zago


	13. No Title

AHHH! HELP! i'm being attacked by wild carrots! AHH- hey! that little one kinda looks like Ed! gasp oh no! that bunny just ate Ed! DAMN YOU BUGS!

so...anyway, now that my crack has worn of, enjoy the story!

legal crap- **I OWN AKA **not ed. **AKA.**

i also own a rubber band. don't steal it.

* * *

**-----Part 13-----**

_Recap- You and the Elric brothers tried to look up some info on Virvaine, but it seems to be extint. Good luck with that._

"You sure you guys don't want to stay for a few more days?" Asked Hughes. He, along with Armstrong, had decided to see you off at the train station.

"Nah," Ed answered, "I kinda miss traveling."

Liar You thought, But I guess he's gone too far to give up on the Philosopher's Stone now... The Elrics had told you a bit about your travels, mostly to discourage you. It hadn't worked, but you _were_ a little nervous. I'm sure we'll be fine if we're watching each other's backs you thought.

Suddenly, you heard a slight crack in your back as Armstrong pulled you and Ed into a bear hug. Your cheeks were squished up next to Ed's, and your back felt like jelly.

"I shall miss these young faces around Central. I bid you all a safe journey!" Armstrong said in a booming voice.

"We'll...miss you to...Armstrong!" Ed gasped, sounding as squished as you felt. Finally, Armstrong let go, but you were pretty sure your ribs were broken. Waving weakly, you let Al help you onto the train.

"Oh, Aka! I almost forgot!" Yelled Hughes. Turning around, you saw him running towards you waving a piece of paper. Taking it, you scanned the first lines, reading it aloud.

"We give the name..._Spark?_ to thy Akaro Maron in the name of Fuhrer King Bradly..." You looked at Hughes in surprise. "My name is the Spark Alchemist?"

"Yep. Better get used to it. I think it suits you pretty well."

"Thanks...I, think...well anyway, bye Hughes! You to Armstrong!" You tried to wave, but felt a shot of pain run through your back. Hugging the wall, you made your way to where Al and Ed were sitting. Almost falling forward as the train started to move, you slumped down next to Ed with Al sitting across from you.

"What did Hughes want?" Asked Al. You handed him the document.

"License thingy. Apparently I'm the 'Spark Alchemist' now." You said, wincing as you spoke. Talking hurt. Ed gave you a weak smile.

"Don't worry." He said in a weary voice. "The crushing feeling goes away after about twenty minutes." Groaning, you hugged your stomach.

"Armstrong's said goodbye to ou before?"

"Yeah, one time he put a dent in Ed's automail." Al told you, "Winry almost murdered him. You looked at the ceiling thoughtfully.

"Winry...? Oh yeah, the automail mechanic. Dose she have to fix your automail very often?"

"Pretty often. Ed tends to break it a lot." Al answered. Ed glared at him.

"It's not like I go around banging it into walls!" He said defensively.

"Yeah," You said, "But you do use a lot of alchemy on it."

"So? It's not like it changes!" Ed cried.

"Brother, quiet down! We'll disturb the others on this train!" Ed grumbled, but quieted down.

"How long is this trip anyway?" he asked.

"It'll be about three hours before we get there." Al told him.

"Um...guys?" You asked, "...Where is 'there' anyway?" Ed and Al almost fell out of their seats.

"You don't know where we're going?" asked Ed unbelievingly.

"Well, it's not like you guys told me!" You exclaimed.

"Oh, um...sorry about that." Al said. "We're going to a town called Iselia (ee-sail-ya. from tales of symphonia. BEST GAME EVER!) It's famous for its alchemy history, so we thought it might have information about the Philosopher's Stone."

"Maybe it'll have something about Virvaine in it to!" Ed said, grinning at you. You grinned back.

_It feels so nice to be around these guys_ You thought _Guess it was pretty lonely back in Trezanga_ Ed suddenly slumped against the window and closed his eyes. You cocked an eyebrow and grinned at him.

"Tired?" you asked.

"A little..." Ed admitted. Sure enough, he was asleep within a few seconds.

"Ed sure does sleep a lot on trains." Al commented.

"Really? He didn't sleep on the train to Central." You recalled. Al gave a metal shrug.

"Maybe it was because he was too excited about meeting you." You looked at your lap and blushed.

"I-it was probably something else... you stuttered. Al chuckled. Suddenly...

* * *

Roy jumped up wearing nothing but a speedo! (joking, i'd be blind if it didn't kill me) A man stopped by your seat. He looked to be about thirty or forty with dark brown eyes and hair. His clothes were a pair of brown pants and a white shirt under a blue vest. 

"Excuse me," he said, "But have either of you seen a pair of reading glasses around here? I lost them while I was finding my seat, my wife will kill me if I don't find them..." You exchanged a quick glance with Al and turned back to the man.

"I didn't see any, but do you want some help finding them?"

"Would you?" The man asked, "That would be so kind." Nodding, you stood up. Al started to stand to, but you waved a hand at him.

"No, you'd better stay here Al. Ed'll be confused if he wakes up and finds both of us gone."

"I doubt he'll wake up that soon, but alright." Al agreed. Turning back to the man, you asked, "Where do you think you lost your glasses?" He looked thoughtful for a moment before answering.

"Hm...I passed through this cabin and three others before I realized they were gone..."

"Okay then, let's look in all the cabins you passed. They'll show up."

"I do hope your right." You and the man started walking.

"I'm sorry young sir, but I don't believe I caught your name." The man suddenly said. _Jeez, what's with all the politeness? I mean, who really talks like this?_

"Uh, yeah-I forgot about that. My name's Akaro, what's yours?"

"My name? It's Vharley (var-lee. from tales of symphonia again. that game flippin rules!) My name is Vharley. It's nice to meet you Akaro."

"Uh, thanks- same here." You were just getting to the next cabin when Vharley suddenly tripped, grabbing your arm as he fell. Still feeling weak from Armstrong's hug, you weren't able to hold his weight and fell also, landing near Vharley's shoulder.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" He exclaimed, helping you up.

"No big, I didn't fall that hard." You felt something bang against your thigh and looked down to see that your pocket watch had fallen out of your pocket and was now dangling from your belt.

"My word!" exclaimed Vharley, "Is that a State pocket watch?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm sort of a State Alchemist."

"Amazing! And at such a young age!"

"Not really, there have been younger..." You thought, recalling that Ed had received his at age 12.

Ed warned me about talking about military stuff...better change the subject

"So, uh, did you walk by here?"

"Hm? Oh yes! The glasses! They must be here somewhere..." with that, the two of you resumed your search. Vharley didn't ask anymore questions about your watch, but you did notice that he kept glancing at you. You decided to get back to Ed and Al as soon as the glasses were found. You and Vharley searched for about ten more minutes. But just as you reached the last cabin, Vharley smacked his head.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" He exclaimed.

"Sorry for what?" You asked, looking at him confused. Vharley put a hand in his pocket...and drew out a pair of reading glasses.

"I'm sorry, they were in my pocket the whole time! I suppose I've led you on quite the goose chase..." You shrugged.

"Don't worry about it. It was kind of fun, and it did help pass the time. I should probably get back to my friends though."

"Oh, yes- you should get back to your seat. I hope the rest of your journey is pleasant!"

"Thanks, see ya!" You said, racing off. There was something weird about that guy...but it's not like I'll be seeing him again You thought as you got to your seat.

To your surprise, Al was gone, and Ed was actually awake.

"Nice to see you up." You told Ed.

"Where's Al?"

"Some little girl's showing him her kitten. You know how Al is with cats." You smiled. Actually, you did. During your time at Central, you'd helped Al sneak out food to feed a stray cat. You had a feeling that Ed had known all along, but if he did, he gave no sign of it.

"Al said you were helping some guy find his glasses. Did you?"

"Sort of, they were in his pocket the whole time."

"So it was a waste of time?"

"No! It was actually pretty fun."

"Liar." Ed said with a smirk. You suddenly got a sad expression on your face.

_Liar..._

"Hey Aka, what's wrong?" asked Ed, noticing your face. You looked at him reluctantly.

"Um, can I...tell you something?" You asked quietly.

"Uh, well-sure. Of course you can." said Ed, confused.

"Well, I've been meaning to say it for a while, but-it's not that I didn't want to! I just-"

"Aka." Ed interrupted, "Just tell me."

_Spit it out Aka!_ You screamed in your head. _I'm a girl! I'm a girl! Just say it!_

"I'm...

* * *

"...glad I'm traveling with you and Al. _NO! WRONG ANSWER DUMBASS!_ Ed blinked, confused. 

"Uh...thanks. Me to..." You gave him a fake smile. _Great...I'll never be able to do this, I'm such a wimp!_

---------------Two Hours Later---------------

You felt a jerk in you sear as the train finally came to a stop. Grabbing your bag, you followed the Elrics off the train and onto the platform. The platform was packed with people, and the loud sounds almost made you want to cover your ears. But since you didn't, you heard a specific yell.

"Akaro! Mr. Akaro!" Turning, you saw Vharley waving the other side of the platform.

"Gimme a sec guys." You told the Elrics, running off. Vharley beamed down at you as you approached.

"Hey Vharley, what's going on?"

"I told my wife how you helped me, and she wants to thank you. Will you come with me to meet her?"

"Your wife? Sure, I guess."

"Thank you, she's just outside the station." Following Vharley, you exited the train station and walked a couple of blocks.

"Uh...didn't you say she was just outside?" You asked, having walked farther than you thought you would.

"Oh, she's not much further. She should be right around the corner." But when you rounded the corner, you saw no woman.

Instead, you caught a glimpse of a tall man and a flash of metal before you blacked out.

* * *

**Ed's POV-**  
"Hey Al?" 

"Yes Brother?"

"How long has Aka been gone?"

"Um...about ten minutes I think."

"...I'm going to look for him."

"Brother, I don't-"

"I know you don't, but _I'm_ going to look for him." Al sighed.

"Fine, I'll come with you..." He said sullenly. You smirked and left the train station, going the way you'd last seen Aka.

_Damn, where is he?_ You thought, not seeing him anywhere.

"Brother! Over here! Hurry!" Al suddenly shouted. Rushing over, you saw Al kneeling on the ground.

"What is it?" You asked breathlessly. Al didn't answer, but stood up and turned around. In his outstretched hands were Aka's sunglasses. You stared at them for a while before turning to the street.

"This town is too small to hide for long." You said in a low voice.

"Let's go Al."

"Right." He answered. And with that, the two of you took off down the street.

* * *

**Aka's POV-**

_Ow...my head..._ You thought groggily, waking up. You started to open your eyes, but quickly shut them. _Dammit! Where the hell are my glasses?_ Thinking back, you realized that they must have fallen off when- _That jackass hit me! Oh, I have some serious payback to dish out!_

Straining your ears, you heard the sound of distant voices. They were slightly muffled, so you figured that they were in a separate room. Deciding to risk it, you opened your eyes and looked around. You were laying on the floor of a dirty apartment, your hands and legs bound with rope. Winkling your nose at the smell, you tried to memorize your surroundings.

Hearing footsteps approach, you quickly shut your eyes. The footsteps grew louder and stopped right next to you. You fought back the urge to gag as beer-smelling breath hit your face.

"He's still asleep...lazy dog." The breath said. A familiar voice answered him.

"Maybe you shouldn't have hit him so hard...but it did make taking his watch easier."

_Vharley!_ You thought, recognizing the voice. _Why the hell did he take my watch? Can he even do alchemy? _You heard the footsteps near you walk away and almost sighed in relief.

"Hey Vharley," the beer-guy said, "You really think this'll work?"

"Of course it will you imbecile. With his pocket watch, we can disguise ourselves as the military. One show of the watch and people will be begging to do our bidding!"

_Oh jeez...you'd think I could have been kidnapped by someone a little more original..._ Getting tired of hearing these jerks talk, you tensed yourself to get up. But just as you were about to go kick their asses, you stopped yourself.

_Wait, this_is_ an apartment...what if other people live here?_ If Vharley and his friend had wepons, it would take alchemy to beat them. And your alchemy wasn't very 'indoor friendly.'

_If other people are living here, they might get hurt by the lightning. Or by Vharley and his friend...damn! What do I do?_ Then, low and behold, the jackass who hit you actually gave you an idea.

"Hey Vharley, didn't you say he had friends? What if they come looking for him?"

_Ed and Al...? **THAT'S IT**!_

Praying neither of your captors would see you, you slowly made a fist with both of your hands. You were laying on your side, Vharley and Friend on the side you were facing and your hands were bound behind your back. Not hearing any reaction of your movement, you slowly pressed your hands to the floor. A breif flash of red shone, and you quickly returned your hands to their original posisiton.

"What was that?" Vharley asked.

_Shit! He saw the flash!_

"What was what?" Asked his friend.

"...Nothing, must have been my imagination." You caught yourself before you sighed in releif.

_Now I just have to wait for the guys...I hope this works.

* * *

_

**Ed's POV-**

You and Al had been looking for half an hour, but there was still no sign of where Aka had been taken.

"This isn't getting us anywhere!" You yelled angrily. "No one we ask even knows what he looks like, and no one's seen that Vharley guy either! How are we supposed to find either of them?"

"We can't give up Brother," Al said, "We may be Aka's only chance to escape!" You turned around to face him.

"I'm not giving up! I'm just saying that we won't find him by just asking around. We need some kind of clue..." Al jerked back and pointed behind you.

"How's _that_ for a clue?" He asked. Whirling around, you saw a strange ball of red light hurtling towards you.

"Ahh!" You yelped, throwing up your hands to protect your face. But nothing happened. Slowly dropping your arms, you saw that the ball of light had stopped in front of your face. Squinting at it, you saw small red sparks emitting from it.

"Aka made this!" You exclaimed. As if reacting to Aka's name, the ball of light circled your head once and started to float away.

"Brother!" Al exclaimed, "Maybe it's trying to lead us to Aka!" You quickly nodded.

"C'mon! We can't let it get away!" Following the ball of red light, you chased it down the streets of Iselia. Just as you were beginning to wear out, the ball went through the door of a tall building. Quickly opening the door, you saw a series of staircases leading to the top. There was a door on every landing.

"An apartment building?" You asked.

"They must have Aka in one of these!" Al said from behind you. Looking up, you saw that the ball of light had begun to rise. Quickly running to the staircase, you started to hurl yourself up them one by one, following the light.

Finally, at an apartment near the top floor, the red ball stopped and went through the door. Checking to make sure Al wasn't far behind, flung the door open...

* * *

**Aka's POV-**

Where are they? Didn't they get the message? You'd been waiting for quite some time now, and there was still no word from Ed and Al. Instead, you'd had to listen to Vharley and his friend bicker over who got to use your watch first.

_They're more childish than Ed!_ You thought angrily. Suddenly, Vharley said something you did _not_ want to hear.

"...You know what? I think keeping him alive is too risky...he might try to warn other State Alchemists..."

_OO WTF?_

"Ya think so?" asked the friend.

"Yes." Vharley said, "I think we should kill him. Let's do it quickly before he wakes up."

_Dammit, looks like I'm on my own!_ Gritting your teeth, you made a fist with both hands. _...3...2...1-_

"What the hell is that?" Vharley yelled. Your body tensed up as you felt a strange warmth shoot into your stomach.

_My lightning ball! That means-_

"GIVE US BACK OUR FRIEND YOU BASTARDS!" Came a yell. You felt your stomach flip.

_Ed! Just in time!_

"You! You're the ones from the train! I should have known you'd come to find him!" You paled as you heard the click of metal.

_Shit! They do have guns! Guess it's now or never!_ Shoving your hands together, you used the lightning to cut the rope. Sitting up, you quickly did the same to your legs and stood up.

"Y-you're awake!" Yelled Vharley's friend, who was finally visible. Not that he was much to look at. He was completely bald and a bit fat, wearing dirty clothes. Glaring at him, you slammed your fist into your hand.

"You're the one who knocked me out, aren't you?" You asked, looking pissed. The friend visibly paled and started to back away. Too late. Lurching forward, you landed a punch in his gut. He doubled over, clutching his stomach.

"You'll regret that!" came a yell. Whirling around, you saw Vharley pointing a gun at you.

_Shit! He's the one with the gun? Should've gone after him first..._ Ed and Al started to charge towards him, but he held up a hand.

"One more step and I'll shoot your friend." He said in a low voice. Ed and Al froze in their tracks. Vharley turned back to you, chuckling.

"You were awake the whole time, weren't you? Well, I guess I don't need to explain things then. You already know that I intend to kill you." You glared at him.

"All that for one pocket watch? Seems pretty drastic to me."

"Quiet you fool! If I show people that watch, they'll think I'm from the State! And you know how much citizens fear the State...they'll think I'm some kind of all-powerful alchemist, ready to tear them apart if they don't do my simplest commands. With that kind of power, I'll be able to do whatever I want!"

"You...sick bastard..." Ed muttered. Vharley merely chuckled.

"Call me what you want. None of you will be able to call me anything for much longer...but there is something that I'm curious about. Why would an Ishbalan be a State Alchemist?" You gulped, remembering that he could see your eyes.

"That's...none of your business." You said. Vharley smirked.

"I suppose not...I don't really care I guess. After all, you'll be nobody's business in a few minutes. But there is something I would like...something to remind myself that I was able to kill a _State Alchemist_...Some sort of souvenir...ah! I know, give me your bandana." Your eyes widened.

_Why...of all things..._ "Isn't my pocket watch enough?" You demanded, trying to avoid it. Vharley shook his head.

"No no, I'd like the bandana as well. Now give it to me..." he said, pointing his gun at Ed. "...Or I'll shoot your friend first."

"You...monster..." You hissed, giving Vharley the deadliest glare you could.

"Now now, hurry up. I don't have all day to waste on you fools."

_There's...no choice..._ You thought, reaching up. Fixing your eyes on Ed's, you grabbed your bandana.

"Ed..." You said, "I'm so sorry..." In one fast motion, you tore your bandana off your head. Still watching Ed, you saw his eyes widen as your long hair spilled down your head...making you look entirely and undeniably like a girl...

* * *

ahaha! i finally did it! you were wondering when i'd do it, and i finally did! but what now? what if vharley kills ed? what if he kills aka? why did i put ed before aka? why am i not considering al at all? **why am i saying why so much?**

um...anyway...stay tuned to find out how everyone handles the cat once it's outta the bag!

procrastinater of tomorrow-

-zago


	14. Ed's Decision

hello all! i could have updated earlier, butthought i'd give you guys some time to swallow the last chapter. course, then i just forgot about you all completely. JUST KIDDING! anyway, finally hauled my lazy ass around to ruin- i mean, uh- write the next chapter. but before we start...

**A**. FMA is NOT MINE

**B**. Edward Elric is NOT MINE (except in my dreams)

**C**. Aka IS MINE!

**D**. if you don't**C** the connection between **A** and **B**, i'll have to get **D** and** E** to **F** you up.

(i stole that from a friend. NOT MEANT TO SCARE YOU. but did it work?)

_

* * *

_

_Recap- Using Aka's tracker, the Elrics barged into the apartment where she was kidnapped to save her. But then Vharley turned a gun on Ed, telling Aka to give him her bandana. When she took it off, her hair fell down and Ed finally realized the truth._

-----Part 14-Forgiveness, or Hate?-----

You vaguely heard a gasp from Vharley, but kept your eyes locked on Ed's face. Your stare was full of guilt and sadness. Ed stared back, but you couldn't read it. No, maybe you could. You saw shock, of course. You'd expected that one. And you definitely saw pain. But you couldn't tell if he was angry, happy or something in-between. You only broke away your gaze when Vharley began to speak.

"Heh heh...so _that's_ why you hid yourself. And here I thought you were just a coward...imagine! The _military_ hiring a bratty little girl!" He said. Numbly, you realized that he had called you 'little,' but knew that you didn't really care. You just glared at Vharley. He smirked, looking amused by your actions.

"Now now, don't get cranky. I was only stating the obvious. Is that why you were given the pocket watch? Because the military felt sorry for the wittle baby? Or do they not know the truth either?"

"They don't know." You said flatly in your real voice, avoiding Ed's gaze. You couldn't look at him right now. You knew that you should, but right now you just couldn't.

Focusing on Vharley, you tried to think of a way out of this. Then, you got a quick idea.

"Does that really change anything for you?" You asked, trying to buy time. Vharley chuckled.

"I suppose it doesn't, but it _is_ rather interesting."

"Maybe to you, but it means- _meant_ everything to me." You said. You were speaking the truth, but you were also trying to advert Vharley's gaze from your hands.

"Well, to me it means nothing." Vharley said, "And it doesn't change anything. So hurry up and give me your bandana. It's even _more_ special now. Walk over here and hand it to me. And be quick about it. Otherwise..." Vharley waved the gun, which was still pointed at Ed. Gritting your teeth, you marched over to where Vharley was standing and held the bandana out to him.

"You see? That wasn't so-ARGH!" As Vharley touched the bandana, he was shocked by the electricity you'd woven into it. His body jerked in random directions, his eyes wide.

Kneeing him in the stomach, you ripped the gun out of his hands and threw it in the air, wasting it with your lightning. Vharley's eyes went dull and he fell to the floor, unconscious. Bending over him, you took back your pocket watch and re-secured it to your belt.

Slowly, you turned to look at Ed, who had been staring the whole time.

"Ed..." You said, but no other words came. Numbly, you heard Al's voice explaining the situation to some people who'd come to investigate the noise. You and Ed just stood there until Al came walking up.

"Some of the men who live here have agreed to take those guys to jail." He waited for a reaction, but got none. Sighing, he continued quietly, "We should probably order a hotel room or something...I saw one at the other end of the street..." The three of you stood in silence for a while. Then, closing his eyes, Ed turned abruptly and left the apartment room.

"Ed!" you yelled, and started to follow. But you stopped and mid-step and fell back, watching his red jacket whip out of sight.

"Aka...?" Al asked quietly. You looked at the ground.

"Just go. I'll...I'll catch up." You said softly. Al lingered for a bit longer before leaving the apartment.

Ed's POV-  
"Ed!" Aka yelled, her voice strange and foreign to you. You knew she wanted you to come back, but you also knew she wouldn't follow you if you didn't. Or would she?

_Was his_-her _personality fake too? Does the Aka I know even exsist? _It was all just too confusing. The guy you'd spent the last month calling your best friend- was a _girl?_ How could it have happened? How could it be true?

"Ed!" You heard again, but it wasn't Aka calling this time. Glancing back, you saw Al running to catch up with you. You stopped, but didn't look at him when he approached.

"Brother, let's go to the hotel." He said softly. Not thinking of anything better to do, you nodded and let Al lead you down the street. The hotel you entered was kind of loud, but you didn't really hear it. Something was wrong with your ears. You kept hearing the same things over and over.

_"Ed...I'm sorry..."_ Aka's voice kept saying.

You felt a tap on your shoulder and realized that Al had finished ordering the room. Following him up the stairs, you went inside the room and threw yourself on the bed. Rolling to your side, you stared at the wall.

"Ed...?" You heard Al's voice ask from behind you. You stayed silent or a while before saying, "You knew, didn't you?" Al got quiet for a bit. Then-

"Yes. I did know." Sitting up, you turned your head to look at him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" You asked, but not in an angry way.

"It...it wasn't my job to tell you. Aka had to. She was going to." Al said.

"_When? _The day we got our _bodies_ back?" You demanded. _Now_ you were angry. How could Aka and Al known all along and not told you?

"He- argh _she_ could have told me before! So why didn't she?" Al didn't answer. Getting annoyed, you stood up and walked to the door.

"Brother-"

"I'm going to go eat or something, I'll be back in a while." You snapped, before pulling the door open and slamming it behind you.

Aka's POV-  
You had no idea where you were. After leaving that damn apartment, you hadn't been able to go the hotel. Knowing Ed was there...

So you'd just started wandering around town. Now you couldn't even tell if you were still in Iselia.

_Not that it matters... _You thought sadly. You felt like nothing mattered anymore. Not your identity, not your pocketwatch, not even Virvaine. Stopping, you saw that the area around you looked somewhat familiar. Looking around, you gasped aloud, realizing what it was.

You were in the middle of a farm. The same kind of farm you'd lived on in Trezanga. The house looked different and the crops were in different places, but it was still a farm. Something you hadn't seen since a month ago.

You closed your eyes, trying to picture the farm. It was so similar, the smell of damp earth, the waving of the leaves, you could almost hear Hojo's laughter.

And yet...you opened your eyes. All those things seemed so far away now.

_I wonder if I'll ever go back _You thought, then rolled your eyes at your own stupidity. _Of course not! They think I'm a flippin murderer! Ugh,how did my life get sodamn complicated..._Sighing, you sat down next to some sprouting tomatoes (aw crap, now i wanna play harvest moon...must-finish-story-...) and looked up at the stars. (yeah, it's night now. you were in the apartment for a few hours) You tried to recognize some constellations, but could only see Ed's face.

"Dammit!" You said aloud, "Your such an asshole Aka! Ed probably hates you now!" To your surprise, someone answered.

"Is there a reason why he shouldn't?" a voice asked. Whirling around, you saw Ed standing a few feet away, holding a small sack.

"I- I thought you were at the hotel." You stammered. Ed held up the bag.

"Got hungry. Why, did you not want to see me or something?" You looked at the ground.

"I- I didn't think you'd want to see _me._" Ed sighed and plopped down next to you, turning his face up to the sky. Even now, despite how pissed he probably was at you, you couldn't help but think that he looked _really_ good.

"Right now we need to talk." He declared, "Then I'll decide whether or not I want to see you around. So don't run off until then." You nodded, but then looked at his bag.

"What did you get?" You asked, suddenly curious. In answer, Ed untied the bag and opening it, letting you take a look. Inside, were...peaches. The same kind of peaches you'd eaten when you first met Ed. Your eyes widened and looked into Ed's. He shrugged.

"They didn't have much at the market. These looked pretty good." The two of you sat in silence for a while until Ed said, "You...you can have some...if you want. I know you haven't eaten in a while..."

"Thanks Ed." Reaching inside the bag, you pulled out the peach and started nibbling it.

"Aka, why didn't you- argh." Ed started, but cut himself off and looked away. You rolled your peach in your hands a bit and stared at it.

"I- I wanted to." You said. "I know that's hard to believe, but I really did want to! I- I just...I was scared..." You sensed Ed turn back to look at you, but continued to look at your peach.

"What were you afraid of? That I'd take your pocket watch or something?" He asked. You shook your head sadly.

"No...I'd probably deserve that. I was scared that...that- I was scared that you would hate me!" For the second time in your life, you wanted to cry. You were so sad, but the tears just wouldn't come. You had lied to your best friend and caused him so much pain, just so you wouldn't have to deal with is feelings.

_Why the hell was I so selfish? Why couldn't I tell him?_ You screamed in your mind.

"Aka." Ed suddenly said, interrupting your thoughts. "Look at me." He said, the same way he'd said it when you'd told him you were Ishbalan. Slowly, you turned to see those golden orbs you had come to like so much boring into your red eyes.

"I'll admit." He said, "I'm mad. You're one of the best friends that I've ever had, and you _lied to me._ Not only that, but you convinced my own brother to lie to me also. Plus all the people in Central that I care about. You lied to them to. I feel like I don't even know who you are anymore."

You felt like you'd been shot. _So he does hate me... _You thought sadly. If you were ever going to cry, now would probably be the time. But before your eyes even got the chance to water, Ed said something else.

"...But no matter how much lying you did, I don't _hate_ you Aka. I don't think...that I'll ever be able to hate you. Boy or girl." He said slowly. You looked shocked for a few moments.

_He...doesn't hate me...?_ Then, you smiled, "I'm so glad. If you hated me...aw heck- I couldn't live with myself! But...are we- I mean, I know it's asking a lot, but-"

"Yeah, we're still friends." Ed said, smiling back.

Suddenly, you felt something brush your hand. Looking down, you realized that you and Ed had reached for a peach (heh. it rhymes. call me a poet) at the same time. The two of you jerked your hands back, blushing furiously. Ed groaned and smacked his forehead.

"Oh man, all those times during combat practice? Jeez..." You laughed.

"I gotta admit, there were _some_ times that I was glad you didn't know I was a girl."

"Not to many times I hope." Ed said suspiciously. Then, he gave you a faint smile. "On the train, you tried to say something..." You blushed and nodded.

"Yeah, I tried to tell you then, but...I was a wimp. I had to get myself kidnapped before the truth came out." Ed grinned and messed with your hair.

"You're not a wimp." He said, smirking, "An idiot maybe, but not a wimp." You smirked back.

"You're not much yourself Ed."

"What does that mean? ARE YOU CALLIN ME **SHORT**?" Laughing, you stood up and started running.

"Yeah Ed!" You called back, "I'm surprised your **puny** brain found me so fast!"

"WHAT? GET **BACK** HERE YOU **COWARD**!" Ed yelled, running after you. Running for your life, he chased your all the way back to the hotel.

* * *

see? i could've given you acrappy sequel, BUT I DIDN'T! but don't think this is it! this is **ONLY THE BEGINING! **--------------hey, i just remembered, this is a quote of Eggman's from some Sonic the Hedgehog game. can't remember which, i think it's Sonic Adventure DX

so...yeah, now that i'm done being my weird video-game hobbycough obsession cough cough wheeze i hope you guys liked it!


	15. Fresh Start

i'm not even gonna try and excuse myself for this, i'm just going to embrace the fact that i'm lazy. anyway...

don't sue me, i don't own Ed. or FMA altogether.or France. that comes later.

i have managed to actually come up with an original thought, whom i've dubbed 'Aka' don't steal her.

i also bought a new harvest moon game, so don't steal that either. not that i'd let you.

* * *

**-----Part 15-Fresh Start-----**

_Recap-Ed stormed out after you stopped Vharley. He and Aka later met up in a farm field and Ed told Aka that he didn't hate her and still wanted to be her friend._

**Start**- Al's POV:  
_Where are they?_ You thought, worried. It had been a while since Ed had left, and there was still no word from Aka.

_I hope they show up soon..._ You thought. Then, as if on cue, Aka came bursting through the door, gasping for breath.

"Aka! What's-"

"Hide me!" She interrupted, running behind you. Before you could ask anything else, Ed ran in, also out of breath.

"Where is she Al?" He demanded.

"Wh-what do you mean brother?" You asked. _Was I wrong?_ You thought worridly, _Does Ed hate Aka after all?_ Ed made a fist with his hand.

"Don't give me that crap Al, I saw her run in here! Now where is she?"

Suddenly, you heard a faint giggle from behind you.

_She's...laughing?_

"Aha!" Yelled Ed, darting under your arm. Turning around, you saw that Ed was giving Aka a noogie, Aka gasping for breath between laughs.

"Stop laughing!" Ed yelled, "I'm not that short!"

"Yes you are!" Aka gasped.

"Am not! You're shorter than I am!"

"What? Since when are you a human measuring stick?"

"I'm not! I'm just stating the obvious!"

"Oh, I get it. It's because you're only a foot tall."

"**WHAT**? Take that back!"

"**MAKE ME**!" Aka yelled, jerking herself out of Ed's grip.

"You're at least a foot shorter than me!" Yelled Ed.

"Aw shut it, that's not true!" Aka yelled back. Raising her right fist, she tried to punch Ed. He sidestepped to avoid it. Aka sent another punch, and this time Ed just grabbed her wrist. Trying to avoid too much violence, you quickly intervened.

"So...are you two-um-friends again?" You asked quickly. Ed and Aka glanced at you and then looked at each other.

"Yeah, I guess we are." Ed said, smiling a bit. You sighed in relief and then chuckled, noticing something.

"Apparantly _good_ friends." You said, still laughing.

"What do you mean?" Aka asked.

"Yeah Al, what's so funny?" Ed asked, suspicious. You didn't answer, but pointed to the space between Ed and Aka. The two of them looked down and started blushing as they realized that Ed was still holding Aka's wrist. You laughed again, causing them to blush even more and jerk their hands away.

"I'm glad you two are friends again." Al said happily.

* * *

Aka's POV: Ed suddenly rubbed his eyes and you looked at him worriedly. 

"You okay?" you asked. Ed shrugged.

"Yeah, just kinda worn out. Weird day..."

"Sorry about that." You answered.

"The girl thing? I already said-"

"No, I mean the pocketwatch thing. Looks like I kinda slipped up, huh?"

"But you handled it so well!" Al said, "That locater circle worked perfectly."

"Maybe," You said, "But if you guys hadn't shown up when you did, I probably wouldn't have made it."

"Yeah, well- just be more careful from now on." Ed said, yawning. "Oh, and you're buying me breakfast tomorrow." You laughed.

"I guess it's the _least_ I can do, but with the way you eat...heck-I'll be broke!"

"What do you mean _be_ broke? You havn't spent a dime yet! Me n Al have been paying for everything!"

"Gimme a break! It's only been like seven hours! Wait- isn't all our money in a joint account thingy?" You suddenly asked thoughtfully.

"Oh, I guess so." Al answered. Ed pouted.

"Aww man, so even if you buy breakfast it's still my money..." He said, trailing off as he broke into another yawn.

"We should all get some rest." Al said, "Tomorrow we have a lot of research to do."

"Yeah we'll- wait a sec, where's Aka going to sleep?" Ed suddenly asked. Looking around, you saw that, yet again, there were only two beds. Al shrugged.

"I guess we could get another room..."

"Does it really matter?" You asked. The Elrics stared at you, making you blush. "I mean, it's kind of a waste of money if there's only three of us..." you muttered.

"But what about when you and Ed have to change clothes?" Al asked. Now Ed was blushing to. "We'll just do it in the closet or something..." He muttered, "But what will you wear from now on Aka? It seems kind of pointless to be wearing that kind of stuff if you don't need to look like a boy anymore."

"But what about my skin?" You asked, "What if people don't like Ishbalans?"

"No offense Aka," Al said, "But I don't think you're an Ishbalan unless you practice the beliefs."

Ed nodded encouragingly. "Yeah, if anyone has a problem with it, we'll just rearrange their face!" He said, making you laugh.

"The scary thing is that I actually took that as a compliment." You said, giggling. "As for clothes, I still have some stuff from Trezanga. They should still fit okay."

"But where are you gonna sleep?" Al asked. Looking around the room, you saw that there were two beds, but no couches.

"Uh...I'll just put some blankets on the floor and-"

"Aka, no!" Al interrupted, "Please, take my bed! I really don't need it! I feel bad enough for making you take the couch at Central!"

"Whoa, hand on a sec Al." You said, "First off, you didn't _make_ me do anything, the couch was my idea, remember? And second off, I don't care if you don't need it. You're the one who paid for it, so you're the one who gets it."

"But all our money is-"

"Drop it Al, she's not going to back down." Ed interrupted. "He- argh, I'm never gonna get used to this. _She's_ too stubborn, you'll never win." Giving Ed an annoyed look, you hit him over the head. "Ow! What'd I do?" He yelped.

Rolling your eyes, you pried some sheets off of Al's bed and tossed them on the floor.

"See Al? You're still giving me your blankets and stuff."

"That's not the same thing..." He muttered. You smiled up at him.

"I'm glad you care, but it's really okay Al." You said sweetly. Al sighed.

"Fine...but promise you won't be tired tomorrow." He said. You nodded, giving him a mock salute.

"Promise."

"Enough talk, I'm tired." Ed said, throwing himself onto his bed. Giggling, you laid down on your makeshift bed and snuggled under the covers.

"Night guys." You called.

"Night Aka." They answered in unison. Smiling, you hugged your pillow and was soon asleep.

* * *

Ed's POV: You were having trouble sleeping. You _were_ tired, but you couldn't get to sleep. So much had happened... 

Turning over for the millionth time, you looked at the floor where Aka was sleeping. Moonlight came through an open over, lighting her face and hair that fell around her head.

You'd always tried to imagine how she would look without her glasses and bandana, but it looked nothing like this. Even though you'd thought of her looking like a boy, she looked nothing like it. Aka didn't really look like anything you'd ever seen before.

And yet...she was the same. She was still the best friend who Al liked. She was still the friend who laughed at the simplest things. She was still the best friend who bugged you about your height. Even though she was a girl...she was still the friend...who made you feel so happy when she was around.

For some weird reason, you weren't even mad at her anymore. Watching her now, you couldn't imagine _ever_ being mad at her. You watched Aka for a bit longer before you blinked and fell asleep.

* * *

Aka's POV  
Opening your eyes slowly, you sat up and looked around. The room was empty, and Ed had actually taken the time to make his bed. Glancing at the window, you saw that the sun was still getting up, so you figured it was still fairly early. Standing up, you stretched and picked up your blankets, putting them back on Al's bed. As you made the bed, you noticed a white paper on Ed's bed stand with your name on it. Picking it up, you flipped it open to read. 

_Aka- _

Went to breakfast. Hurry up.

-Elrics

Smiling at Ed's messy handwriting, you grabbed your bag and walked to the closet.

_This feels so weird_ You thought as you changed. It had been a while since you actually wore your regular clothes. It made you feel kinda exposed, but you figured you'd get used to it.

You were wearing a red tanktop with dark blue capris. On your feet were your normal red boots with black strappings and had a pair of black fingerless gloves on your hands. Reaching back, you pulled your hair into a low loose ponytail with thick bangs.

Shrugging to yourself, you walked out of the hotel room to find the Elrics.

* * *

Al's POV-  
"Brother! Slow down, you're gonna choke!" You cried as Ed tried to stuff a whole pancake in his mouth. Giving you an annoyed look, he tore off a piece and started chewing it. 

"I'll veet twhavever I nwat." He mumbled through chews.

"You're so sloppy Ed! Don't talk with your mouth full!" Ed glared and quickly swallowed.

"I said I'll eat however fast I-" Ed cut himself off, gaping at something behind you. Turning around, you saw Aka in the doorway of the buffet looking around. But there was something different about her. She looked-

_Aka looks more like a girl now_ You thought as you saw her new clothes. Glancing back at Ed, you saw that he was still staring at her.

_Figures_ You thought _Only Aka could distract Ed from food...maybe Ed likes her more than I thought_

* * *

Aka's POV-  
_Jeez, where are they?_ You thought, _I can understand not finding Ed, but Al should be pretty noticeable...there they are!_ Striding over to where they were sitting, you folded your arms. 

"Since when do you two wake up before me?" You asked.

"Ed and I just kinda woke up- we didn't want to disturb you." Al explained. Looking at Ed, you saw that he was staring at you.

"What's with you?" You asked. Ed shook his head and looked away.

"N-nothing," He stammered. "Just...not used to seeing you like this." You sighed and picked at your shirt.

"It feels so different, is it really that bad?"

"No! It's good...really good." Ed answered, muttering the last part under his breath.

"Huh?" You asked, not hearing. Ed just shrugged.

"Hurry up and eat." He said, "We're leaving as soon as you're done."

"Brother, she just got here! Not everyone eats as fast as you do!" Al exclaimed.

"That's okay." Aka said, "No one eats as _much_ as Ed does either."

"Great. Now you're calling me fat?" Ed cried. You grinned and stole one of his sausages.

"Yep. They should have called you the 'Fat Metal Alchemist.'" Ed glared.

"Hey, at least it's not the 'Spark Alchemist.'" He retorted. Now you were glaring to.

"Shut up, there's nothing wrong with it."

"Trying to convince me? Or yourself?" Ed asked, smirking. Rolling your eyes, you decided to just drop it and eat. You were pretty excited about research to.

_Virvaine...I will find you._

* * *

You and the Elrics left the hotel and just started walking. For such a small town, Iselia sure had a lot of people in it. Everyone seem to have come outside today. Not that it really mattered. Al was so large, he just had to walk forward and the crowd would part. You and Ed just had to keep up. 

"Jeez- you think it's always this crowded?" You asked. Ed shrugged.

"Maybe it's market day or something. Good thing Al's so big."

"That's _not_ a compliment Brother." Al retorted. You smiled. It was nice to hear someone other than you fight with Ed. But looking around, you smile faded. A lot of people were staring at you three, some seemed to be staring straight at you. Getting creeped out, you walked a closer to Ed, to where your arms were almost touching.

"Aka?" Ed asked softly, realizing how close you'd suddenly gotten. You didn't look at him, but your eyes darted around the crowd.

"Do- do they always stare like this?" You whispered. Ed looked around and shrugged.

"I guess. Just ignore them. If they try anything funny I'll kick 'em into the dirt." He said nonchalantly. You looked up at him and smiled weakly.

Ed's gotta point...guess I'm pretty paranoid

"Comfortable back there?" Asked Al in an amused voice. Blushing, you saw that you and Ed were still walking very close. Looking away, you did a side-step to make more distance. Ed was doing the same. Deciding to avoid an awkward silence, you quickly asked, "So- what kind of history does this place have?"

"According to legend," Al answered, "The caves in this region grew a certain type a stone called 'Rune Ore' that amplified fire alchemy."

"Fire Alchemy?" You repeated, "Good thing Roy never got a hold of it."

"Aw man- that's a scary thought." Ed said, "He's enough trouble with just the gloves."

"_Anyway_," Al said, sounding like an annoyed school teacher, "We think that this Rune Ore could be a possible replacement for ingredients to make a Philosopher's Stone."

"Oh, I get it." You said, "So we're going to the caves?"

"Yep. Hope you can rock climb." Ed said cheerfully.

"No problem, I'll just use you as a stepping stone to get up." You said smugly. Ed glared and made a grab for your arm, but you had already rushed past Al in the direction of the cliff formations in front of you.

"Hey! Slow down Aka!" Ed yelled, trying to keep up. Smiling, you looked up at the top of the cliff...and stopped short.

Standing at the top of the cliff was a strange figured cloaked in black. He seemed to be staring right at you. But when you blinked, the figure was gone.

_What the..._ Ed had now caught up with you and was gasping for breath.

"You could slow down for-" Ed started, but cut himself off, seeing your face. His face grew serious. "What's wrong? You look kind of funny..." He said, his voice worried.

"It's okay, I'm fine. Just kinda...zoned out for a sec." You said, giving him a false smile. Looking back up to the cliffs, you almost expected the figure to appear again. But all you could see was rock.

_Was I just imagining it? It seemed so real..._

"Hey Aka! C'mon, or we're leaving without you!" You heard Ed yell. Looking forward, you saw that they were ahead of you. Shaking your head, you started jogging to catch up.

_I'll deal with it later..._

* * *

or will she? bahaha! you poor people, at the rate i update, YOU'LL NEVER KNOW! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHa... 

okay, i'm bored. wait! i know, i'll go play my new video game! huzzah!

-now overly-happy zago (that's also what i called my character. YES!)


	16. Cliff Climbing, or Falling

hello innocent victims! guess what? i know, i know, been forever since i updated. BUT WHAT IF I WAS KIDNAPPED, HUH? WHAT THEN?what ifthere was no possible way for me to update, huh?that's right, feel bad.

oh, and before i forget

ZAGO DOES NOT OWN FMA. HOWEVER, SHE DOES OWN AKA. AND RECENT REPORTS CLAIM THAT SHE MIGHT SOON OWN A NEW SONIC THE HEDGEHOGGAME. INVESTIGATIONS WILL BE RESUMED AS SOON AS SHE STOPS PLAYING IT.

* * *

**-----Part 16-Cliff Climbing...or Falling-----**

**Recap-**_Aka started wearing more girlish clothes, which had an interesting affect on Ed. As your group was heading to the Iselia caves for research, Aka saw a strange figure at the top of the cliff. But the figure disappeared before the Elrics could see.  
_  
**Start-**  
"Argh...THESE ROCKS ARE SO STUPID!" You yelled. The three of you had begun climbing, but the rocks were so unstable that you'd only gotten a few feet up.

"Well duh Aka, they _are_ rocks..." Ed said smugly.

"Shut up..." You mumbled, annoyed. Striding over to a large boulder, you seized the grooves with your hands and started to climb upwards.

"Aka, wait! We don't know if that one's stable yet!" Al yelled. Stopping, you looked down at them over your shoulder.

"No big, I'm testing it now!" You yelled back. Returning to your climbing, you made it all the way to the top. Smirking in victory, you leaned over the edge and looked down at the Elrics seven feet below, poking your toungue out at them. "Ha! Take that! Now get up here you turtles!" You yelled. Even from up there, you could feel the heat of Ed's glare.

"Hey! At least _we're_ being careful!" Ed yelled, trying to sound right. Suddenly, a small rock hit his head. Ed threw up his arms and glared up at you.

"AKA!"

"Don't look at me!" You said hurridly.

"I'm sure it just fell Brother..." Al said, trying to calm Ed down.

_Or someone threw it..._ You thought. Looking around, you saw nothing but rocks. But as you glanced over some of the higher cliffs, you could have sworn you saw a whisp of black.

_What the...okay, that's the second time! I'm either crazy or somone's stalking us! And I really don't want to be crazy!_ You were suddenly pulled from your thoughts as you felt somthing hit the back of your head. Whirling around, you saw that the Elrics had made it up the rock. Ed was tossing a rock in his hand up and down, smirking at you.

"You jerk! For the last time, **IT WASN'T ME**!" You yelled.

"I know. I just felt like doing that." Ed replied.

"What? Argh..._ED_!" You screamed, lunging at him. He side-stepped to avoid it, turning so that he was still facing you. You tried to do a quick turn to lunge at him again, but you slipped on the dusty surface. Giving a yelp, you began to fall backwards off the cliff.

* * *

(doot do doooo...zzzzZZZZzzzz...poke eh? oh, right, story...zzzz...ZZZZZZZZZZZZ...zzzzzzZZZZZZZZZzzz

...zzzz-poke poke **ALRIGHT! JEEZ, FINE**!)

* * *

"Aka!" Ed yelled, rushing forward. Scared, you reached out to him. Seizing your hands, Ed jerked you back towards him as hard as he could, causing you to fall against his chest. You clung to his shoulers, breathing rapidly. Ed's arms encircled your waist as he did the same. Leaning your head against Ed's chest, you closed your eyes, listening to his heart. It was beating very quickly, but began to slow down.

_He was scared too..._ You realized.

"Aka?" Al asked softly, "Are you...okay?" Still breathing hard, you pushed yourself off of Ed's chest.

"Y-yeah. I'm-I'm okay." You stammered.

"You sure?" Ed asked, placing his hands on your shoulders. You looked up at his worried gold eyes.

_I am now..._ Closing your eyes, you nodded and forced your breathing back to normal. Opening them again, you looked up and Ed and smiled.

"I'm okay. Really." You told him. Ed hesitated, but dropped his arms.

"Alright. Do you want to go back or something?" He asked. You shook your head.

"No, I'll be fine. Besides, the cave isn't much farther ahead!" You said, pointing up. Sure enough, the three of you saw an opening in the rock. Deciding to slow down, you waited for the Elrics to climb up first before you went up yourself. They didn't say anything about it, which made you glad.

_They really are good friends...I'm lucky to have them_

* * *

"Well this is...cozy..." You said. Scarcastically of course. The cave looked like it belonged to the were-wolf; it was dark dusty with a strange smell in the air. You could see cobwebs in the corners of the rocks, and an eerie wind blew by the entrance.

"Riiiight...so, who wants to go first?" Ed asked. You smirked, aware of the quiver in his voice.

"Well, why not let the great 'FullMetal' go first!" You said cheerfully, shoving Ed forward.

"H-Hey!" he yelled.

"What, scared?" You asked in a teasing voice. Even in the dark, you could see the red on his face.

"Who, m-me? Of course not! C'mon you two, let's go already!" Ed said, trying to sound all macho. Unfortunatly, it was ruined as he tried to walk forward and fell flat on his face. You and Al burst out laughing as Ed groaned and sat up.

"Cut it out!" He yelled, "It's not my fault! It's too dark in here..." You still thought it was funny, but got the idea.

"Oh, hang on a sec guys..." You said. Making a fist, you opened it to reveal a small ball of red light, similar to the one you'd made while you were kidnapped.

"Thanks Aka!" Al exclaimed, "That's-oh, um..." He broke off. Looking around, you saw why. If the cave wasn't creepy enough, the reddish light just made it creepier.

"Whoops, heh heh- hang on..." You said. Looking at the light, you waved your fingers a bit under it, making the light a more white color. The Elrics sighed in releif.

"Thanks Aka. That other one was..." Ed trailed off, trying to hide how scared he actually was. You smiled and nodded, silently telling him you understood. Turning to one of the walls, you asked, "So...exactly what are we looking for?"

"Any evidence of fire alchemy I guess." Al answered. Ed groaned.

"For once, I actually wish that Mustang were here..." he said glumly. You laughed.

"Yeah, we could make him do all this." You said cheerfully.

"Yeah right, he'd probably make a bunch of his lackeys do it." Ed said. Smiling, you turned to one of the cave walls and started scanning for any signs of fire, alchemy or otherwise. But you couldn't find a trace of a single spark.

"Guys," You said aloud, "I don't think it's here. We should go in deeper."

"D-deeper?" Stuttered Al. Rolling his eyes, Ed grabbed his brother's armor and started dragging it with him.

"C'mon Al, it's not that bad! You're probably bigger than anything we'll find!"

"Yeah Al, Ed's a lot shorter and he's still pertending to be brave." You said with a smirk.

"Hey! **WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?**" Ed yelled. You were about to say something back when all of the sudden, a few rocks chipped from the ceiling. The three of you watched in silence as a few more rocks fell. They were pretty small, but scary none the less.

"This entire cliff must be very unstable." Al said quietly, "We have to keep our voices down."

"Right." You and Ed answered in unison. Without a word, the three of you walked deeper into the cave, unaware that someone was watching...

* * *

_Happy thoughts...happy thoughts...damn! This place is soooo creepy!_ You and the Elrics had gone pretty deep into the cliff, and the inside didn't look much better than the first cavern. If possible, it looked even creepier. You kept increasing the brightness of your light because it felt like everything was getting darker and darker. Shivering, you made your light brighter once again.

"I don't see any fire markings...what if it isn't here brother?" Al asked. Ed shrugged.

"Naw, there's gotta be something. Central records said there a possible sample found a couple years ago...and the people in town said that no one went very far into the cliff. I bet if we go deep enough we'll find something...hey, could you cut the light a little Aka? It's getting kind of bright..." Blushing, you realized that your light was now a blinding white sphere and quickly dimmed it down.

_Jeez Aka, snap out of it! You're not afraid of some stupid dark, dusty...creepy...cave...NO! NO YOU'RE NOT!_ You screamed in your mind.

"Hey Aka, you okay?" You suddenly heard Ed ask quietly. You turned to look at him, surprised.

_Is it that obvious? Damn! I hate being scared!_ "Wh-what do you mean?" You stammered, furious that your voice was quivering. Ed put a hand on your shoulder.

"It's okay, most people couldn't handle almost falling off a cliff. You're-"

"Oh, that. Um, that's not...really it..." You interrupted, trailing off. Ed blinked in surprised end then smiled evilly at you.

"You're afraid of the dark." He said teasingly with a knowing grin. Your face flared up with color.

"N-no I'm not!" You stammered.

"_Suuure_..." Ed said in an annoying voice. You glared and nudged him with your elbow.

"Cut it out!" You said, a bit loudly.

"Guys..." Al said quietly from ahead. But the two of you ignored him.

"You cut it out! Just admit it: You're afraid of the dark!" Ed said, raising his voice a bit as well.

"Guys..." Al said again, a bit louder this time.

"NO I'M NOT!" You yelled.

"YES YOU-" Ed started to yell, but was cut off by a deep rumbling sound. You face paled.

"The cliff..." You whispered.

The rumbling started to get louder.

"We gotta get out of here!" Al yelled. Keeping your voice down didn't matter anymore.

"But- what about the Rune Ore?" You asked. Ed shook his head vigorously.

"Forget it! C'mon!" He yelled, grabbing your arm and jerking your body into a run. The rumbling kept getting louder as the three of your sprinted back up the way you had come.

Suddenly, the three of your heard a loud crashing sound as some of the ceiling caved in behind you.

"Keep running!" Al yelled. Like you had to be told twice. You heard more crashing sounds as you ran, but didn't dare look back. But the sounds started getting closer and closer...Deciding to risk it, you looked up.

Horrified, you saw that the ceiling above you was starting to fall. In fear, you began to slow down.

"Aka!" Ed yelled, slowing down as well. Before you could realize what was going on, you felt something shove you from behind and was sent flying forward.

Falling on the ground, you whirled your head around just to see Ed's jacket disappear under a sea of brown rocks.

* * *

"**ED**!" You screamed.

"Brother!" Al yelled.

Hearing a crackling sound from above, you covered your head as a few rocks fell on you. But they were a lot smaller now, and you realized that the rumbling had gotten quiter. Squeezing your eyes shut, you thought of nothing but Ed as the rumbling slowed, eventually stopping. Opening your eyes, you carfully sat up and looked around. Up ahead and to your right, you saw Al's metal body sticking out from under some rocks.

"Al?" You asked softly.

"I'm fine." Came his faint reply. Turning around, you saw a huge pile of rocks where Ed had disappeared.

"Ed?" You called softly. You heard no reply. Growling, you angrily pushed the rocks in your way off of you and strode over to the pile. Pressing your hands into a fist, you got ready to punch the wall with your alchemy.

"Aka, wait! You might start another earthquake!" Al whispered loudly. Wincing, you jerked your arms away from the wall of rocks and looked back at Al helplessly.

"But...what about Ed?" You asked sadly.

"I'm sure he's okay." Al said reassuringly.

"But he didn't answer!"

"He may be unconcious. I've seen Ed survive through worse, I'm sure he'll pull through."

"But we can't just sit here and do nothing! What if he runs out of air?" Al was silent for a moment before walking over to the pile of rocks. Lifting his hands, he started to dig at them.

"C'mon, help me dig my brother out." He said. Nodding, you quickly went to help him. None of you spoke as the two of you clawed at the rock. Eventually, you started to make a small hole. Smiling, you quickly made it bigger and poked your head through it.

"Aka-"

"I see him Al!" You said excitedly. Pulling back your head, you looked at Al with a big grin on your face.

"It looks like he's still breathing too! He's okay!" Al sighed in releif.

"Good. Now all we have to do is get him out of there." The two of you got back to work making the hole bigger. Finally, it was big enough for you to crawl through.

"Okay, you crawl in and get Ed. I'll wait here and help you pull him through the hole."

"Okay, don't leave now." You said teasingly. Pushing yourself through the hole, you slid down the rocks to where Ed was lying. "Ed?" You whispered. He didn't answer. You bent down and put your head on his chest. His heart was still beating. Slowly, but it was beating. You smiled and stroked Ed's hair.

"Ed, you saved me...thank you so much." You said softly.

"How adorable." Came a voice from behind you. You jerked your head up to see...

* * *

me! with another annoying cliffie! MWAHAHA!...hey, has anyone else noticed i usually end my chapters in maniacal laughter? oh well.

more maniacal laughter next time!

-zago


	17. Rocks and Sparks

well lookie here, another update! i'm kinda scared though, next thing you know the KC Royals are gonna win a baseball game...which would suck, because then i wouldn't have an excuse to pig out on hot dogs and cotton candy. it's just not the same anywhere other than kauffman stadium. i love cotton candy...dammit, now i'm hungry...

disclamer- zago doesn't own FMA. but she does own Aka. and at the moment, she really wishes she owned a hot dog right about now.

* * *

**-----Part 17-Rocks and Sparks-----**

_**Recap- **You and Ed accidentally started an earthquake by yelling. Risking his life, Ed pushed you out of the way of some falling rocks. You and Al then dug a hole so you could get to Ed. Now a weird person is talking to you._

**Start-**You looked up to see...

"You! Why are you here?" You demanded. Standing in front of you was the guy in the black cloak. His head was bowed, so you couldn't see his face. But judging by his size and deepness of voice, you were pretty sure it was a guy.

"I could ask you the same thing. Most people avoid being in earthquakes." He said. His voice sounded strange. It was quiet, yet strangly forceful. You glared at him.

"I didn't get here on purpose. Did you?" You spat at him. His cloak shuddered as he chuckled.

"My, such a fiery attitude. It's a pity there aren't more people like you in this world. Things would be _so_ much more interesting..." This guy was seriously starting to tick you off.

"Do I know you?" You demanded, "Or are you just picking random people to stalk?" Again, the man chuckled. You didn't see what was so funny. Nothing about this was funny...Glancing down at Ed, you realized that his breathing had become more strained.

_I've gotta get him out of here..._ You thought desprately. _But what about this jerk? I know he was following us, but does he really plan on doing anything to us? _

"What's wrong child? You seem quiet..."

"Only because you still won't give me answers. Now tell me already! Who are you and what do you want?" You growled.

"Who am I? I am called Scopulus, an alchemist of rock. (look it up. scopulus means 'rock' and 'danger' in latin. aren't i smart? oh crap, i just gave that away, didn't i? shit) Though as to why I'm here, I don't think you'll like it." You rolled your eyes.

"Well there's no way I would now that you said _that_. Just tell me already."

"Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you..."

"Talk already!" You demanded.

"Alright. If you must know, I was sent to kill your little friend here. But he's making this very annoying..."

"Wait, you're here to kill Ed? Why?"

"He's been nosing around in things that should be left alone. I intend to make him stop."

"What do you mean 'nosing?' Is it the Philospher's Stone?"

"So you know of it as well? I should have guessed, seeing as you and that boy are so close...that little scene on the cliff was quite romantic." You glared, but felt your cheeks blush a little.

"So you were there after all. I wondered who threw that rock...but if you ask me, it seems kind of pointless."

"The rock-throwing? Well, you were taking too long to climb up, so I thought I'd amuse myself."

"Not that, I mean trying to kill Ed. You'll never be able to pull it off. Not with me here." Scopulus gave an annoyed sigh.

"I'll admit, he's proving harder to kill than I thought. I figured the earthquake would-"

"Earthquake? Wait, you mean _you're_ the one who caused that?" You asked, looking furious.

"Of course I did. Didn't I mention it earlier? I'm a rock alchemist, making small tremors is no great feat to me. Though, I must thank you girl. If you hadn't been so foolish as to get in the way, he might have actually escaped the rocks. So, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for making my job easier." You gritted your teeth.

"You bastard...there's no way in hell you even have a heart!" You yelled. Scopulus waved a finger at you.

"Now now, vulgar language gets one no where fast. But enough chit-chat. I'm here to kill the Fullmetal Alchemist, and if you want to stop me, I suggest you do it quick."

* * *

Scopulus reached into the pockets of his cloak and pulled out a strange silver rod with a disk on top of it. Looking at it more closely, you saw that there was a transmutation circle engraved into the disk. Quickly standing up, (you were kneeling beside Ed the whole time) you walked forward and made your hands into a fist, summoning your sword. Heaving it over you shoulder, you smirked at Scopulus. 

"You made a big mistake messing with my friends. You just made me ticked. And the more ticked off I am, the harder it makes me kick your ass."

"Strong words from a dying girl. That little romance scene on the cliff made you seem so _brave_ to..."

"**SHUT UP**!" You yelled, running forward. You tried to slash at Scopulus, but a rock shot out of no where and you had to block that instead. Another came in your direction and you quickly blocked it to. Soon, tons of rocks were hurtling in your direction, and it was all you could do to not get hit.

Dammit...Scopulus's alchemy isn't half bad. But I gotta beat him...Ed can't die! Crossing your arms in front of your chest, you focused on your 'inner lightning.' (lame? yes. but is it four-in-the-morning-and-still-have-to-study-for-finals? **YES**) Flinging your arms to your sides, a flash of red erupted from your body, surrounding it in a forefield of flickering sparks. Now whenever the rocks got close, they just got fried by the sparks.

"Hm. Not bad child, but I'm afraid it won't do you much good." Scopulus said.

"Shut up and fight you jackass!" You yelled. Charging toward him once more, you tried to fling you sword at him. But you caught nothing but air. Scopulus had stepped back, but it looked more like he'd _floated_ back. You couldn't tell if it was the long cloak or what, you just tried charging again. A larger rock was thrown at you, and you used your sword as a sheild when the rock broke threw your barrier. More large rocks started to shoot towards you, and you quickly jumped out of the way. But you were running out of space: the cave was too small.

With horror, you realized that you'd lost track of Scopulus. Your eyes darted around the cavern until you finally saw him...**standing over Ed. **(bold print makes it dramatic)

* * *

"No! Get _away_ from him!" You screamed, reaching out towards him. And then it happened again. You didn't think about it, it just happened. The beam of red lightning shot out of your hand and hit Scopulus square in the back. He let out a cry of pain and slumped down, breathing hard. But he wasn't dead. Warily, you took a few steps closer to him until you stood about a foot away. 

Suddenly, he whirled around and shot up, grabbing you by the throat and hoisting you into the air. Your lungs screamed as you gasped for air.

"You...insolent wench..." Scopulus growled, "I will kill you for causing me such pain!" You lifted a hand to his wrist and tried to jerk it away, but the pressure on your neck was making you too weak.

Then, you heard a crashing sound and a glimpse of something large and gray coming towards you. Scorulus threw you aside and jumped out of the way of Al's punch.

"Al!" You croaked.

"Sorry I couldn't help earlier. Moving all the rock was hard without your help, and I had to make the hole a lot bigger..." He trailed off. You tried to smile, but ended up flinching instead. You heard ragged breathing and turned to see Scopulus barely standing.

"I...must now go. But the next time we meet...you will die you little bitch...you and that Fullmetal brat." With that, A wall of rocks shot up in front of him. Al started to go after him, but you grabbed his arm.

"N-no. He's...probably gone...by now..." You said, your voice faint.

"Aka, are you alright? You must be exhausted, fighting Scopulus on your own..." You managed a smile this time.

"I'm...okay, but- Ed..." Al nodded and bent over his brother, picking him up.

"C'mon, let's go back to the hotel and get some rest. Can you walk?" Asked Al. You nodded and followed Al out of the cave, trying not to black out.

* * *

Feeling dazed, you looked up and realized that you had already climbed back down the cliff. You couldn't even remember leaving the cave...Looking up, you saw Al walking up ahead, carrying Ed. Trying to shake yourself back into reality, you slowly walked after them. You didn't even notice the people's stares this time. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, you reached the hotel. Cursing the steps as you stumbled up them, you staggered into the room. 

"Aka, why don't you-" Al started, but you didn't hear the rest of it because your body collapsed as you blacked out for real.

* * *

**Ed's POV-**  
Argh...I'm sore all over... You thought groggily. Opening your eyes, you squinted as light hit them. It looked like it was late afternoon. Looking around, you saw that you were laying in your bed at the hotel. But you also saw something else. 

"Aka!" You exclaimed, seeing her laying on Al's bed. Wincing, you stood up and managed to limp over to her, kneeling next to the bed. Aka was laying on her side facing you. You frowned as you saw bruises on her arms and legs, her hair undone and tangled. Reaching up, you pushed some of it out of her face. But the motion woke Aka up. Her eyelids fluttered open to reveal her red eyes. Sitting up, she stared at you, blinking rapidly. You took a seat next to her on the bed as she blinked at you a little before breaking out into a huge smile.

"You're awake!" She cried, lunging forward to embrace you. You stiffened and blushed a bit, like you had on the cliff. Hesitantly, you hugged her back.

"Y-yeah. I'm up. Are you okay?" You asked her. She pulled away from you and shrugged.

"I guess. I...feel a lot better...now that I know you're awake..." She said, blushing. Your own blush deepened. But then your face became serious again.

"I heard what happened. With that weird guy..." You told her. She looked at you in surprise.

"You were awake then?" She asked. You nodded.

"Barely, and I couldn't move, but I caught bits and pieces of what happened. Did he try to strangle you?" Aka looked down and nodded. You made a fist and growled, looking away. "That bastard..."

"It's okay, Al saved me before anything happend. I'm just glad he didn't do something like that to you." Aka said sincerely. You looked at her to see her smiling kindly at you.

"Aka..." You said softly. Sighing, you pulled her into another hug, holding her fiercly. "I'm so sorry..." You said.

"Don't be." Aka said softly, burying her head in your chest. "I'd do it again anyday."

"I know. That's why I'm lucky to have you." You sighed, laying your head on her shoulder.

The two of you stayed like that for a while until you heard the door swing open. You and Aka broke apart and blushed as Al chuckled.

"So this is what you two have been up to...I was wondering what would happen if I left..." He said in an amused voice. Your face got redder as you glared at Al.

"Cut it out Al, it's not like anything happened..." Al chuckled and Aka looked away, probably as red as you were.

"I take it you're feeling better than?" Al asked. You shrugged.

"I feel okay. A little sore, but I'll live."

"What about you Aka?" Asked Al. Aka looked back at him and smirked.

"No one can keep me down for long. I'll be fine, just need some rest."

"Okay. I'll sleep-"

"In your own bed." Aka said, interrupting Al.

"But- you're injured Aka! You can't sleep on the floor!" Al protested.

"I can and I will. Didn't we already go over this? There's no way in hell I'm taking your bed. Now drop it and let me rest." Aka said, standing up and dragging some sheets onto the floor. Al tried to protest some more, but she ignored him.

_She_ can't _sleep on the floor. But we won't be able to convince her. Unless..._ "Al, just let her be." You told him.

"But-"

"If she wants to sleep on the floor, that's her buisness. I'm going to get some grub, you want some Aka?" She shook her head.

"Nah, I think I'll go to bed. Night guys."

"Goodnight Aka." Al responded, following you out of the room.

"Brother," He said, as the two of you entered the buffet, "You can't be serious. You honestly think Aka should sleep on the floor?" You shrugged.

"Not really, but there's no way she'll agree to anything else. Besides, if it weren't for her, I wouldn't be here. As far as I'm concerned, she can do whatever she wants." Al sighed as you got some food. _Don't worry Al _you thought, _I have an idea _

_

* * *

_

(Ed with an idea? **WE'RE DOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!)**

**

* * *

**

**Aka's POV-**  
After the guys left, you fell into a pretty deep sleep. But suddenly, you woke up to see yourself on a bed instead of the floor.

_What the- _You thought. Looking up, you caught a glimpse of a dark figure moving away. Shooting out your hand, you caught a metal wrist.

"Ed!" You hissed. "What are you doing?" You heard him give an annoyed sigh.

"You were _supposed_ to stay asleep."

"Sorry to disappoint you. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was gonna switch places with you." Ed whispered. You glanced over at Al's bed and saw that he was asleep.

"Really? So what part of 'I don't care what she does' was a lie?"

"None of it!"

"Again, _lying_."

"Okay, maybe all of it." Ed admitted. You shook your head, standing up.

"Whatever. Just leave me alone, I want to sleep." You tried to walk back to your own bed, but Ed grabbed your shoulder and pushed you back down. "Ed-"

"_No_. I don't care if you want to sleep on the floor, but you're not going to tonight. Now just lay down and go back to sleep."

"I'm not gonna-"

"_Now_." Ed said forecfully. Grumbling, you laid back down on Ed's bed. "I'm not gonna sleep you know." You told him.

"What?" He exclaimed.

"I can't fall asleep unless I know you're sleeping in your own bed. You're hurt too, remember? Actually, you probably need a bed more than I do." Ed was silent for a while, but then you felt a weight on the bed. Smiling, you started to get up, but felt Ed pushing you down again.

"Ed! What're you-"

"We both need a bed. Now shut up and go to sleep." He said. Laying down, he put an arm over your stomach and pulled you closer to him. You struggled, but he wouldn't let go. Sighing, you gave up and closed your eyes, very aware of how warm Ed was.

* * *

alright everybody! 1...2...3...**_AWWWWWWWWWW!_** now the story's getting fluffy. just a head's up- this story is rated **T. **there will be _none of that _in this story. i'm not saying this because people have bugged me about it, you guys have actually been really cool with what you say in the reviews. i just wanted to get that cleared up. so, thanks. 

wow, i usually don't talk to you guys this much.

your distant writer-

zago


	18. Changes

okay, this time, i _swear_ it wasn't my fault! fanfic wouldn't upload any of my chapters, so **DON'T BLAME ME!**

cause i probably don't care that much anyway.

disclamer- i don't own FMA. but yes, i do own sonic riders.** I UNLOCKED SHADOW!**

_**

* * *

Recap- (don't feel like it. either you read the last one or you didn't.)**_

**Start-Al's POV**- You woke up a bit earlier than usual, and found something not so usual. _How did...? _You thought, surprised.

Not only was Aka not on the floor, she was sleeping in the same bed as Ed! Ed was laying half-on-his-back with both his real and metal arms around Aka's stomach. His head rested against the top of hers. Aka was snuggled up against Ed, clutching his metal arm with her hand and resting her head on his shoulder.

Your mind did a flash-back of what happened in Central. _Forget it _You thought, _Let them deal with it this time, I'm not moving them_ With that decision, you left the room and went downstairs.

About ten minutes later you heard a, 'WAKE **UP** DAMMIT!' Everyone else in the hotel looked confused, but if you had your real body back, anyone who saw you would have seen the knowing grin on your face.

* * *

**Aka's POV- **Your eyelids fluttered open and you frowned, trying to remember where you were. Suddenly, it hit you like a mini-skirt-girl slapping Roy. (hold on...that last line gave me a giggle fit...okay, now i can write)

You glanced up and blushed furiously as you saw Ed's face a mere inch or so from yours. His face was relaxed, and his hair was a bit messy where he'd forgotten to take it out of the braid. You tried to move away, but Ed frowned in his sleep and you felt a pressure on your waist. Looking down, your blush deepened as you saw his arms circled tightly around your waist. You tried moving again, but he just held on tighter. _Jeez...alright, Ed needs to wake up before he squeezes the life outta me! _You thought.

Looking back up into Ed's face, you blew some air into it. He flinched, but stayed asleep. "Ed?" You asked whispered softly. He didn't respond. "_Ed_." You whispered louder. Rolling your eyes, you scooted closer to his ear. "Ed-ward El-ric..." You said in a sing-song voice. "...WAKE **UP** DAMMIT!" You yelled at the top of your lungs.

Ed flinched and his eyes snapped open. "What was that for!" He yelled. Then he blinked, looking confused. "Why are you..." he trailed off, looking down. You saw his face get red and he quickly released you. You quickly sat up and stood up, streaching to hide your blush.

"S-sorry." Ed stammered. You were too busy blushing to answer. Looking over at Al's bed, you winced.

"Oh crap, I bet Al saw us." You said.

Ed groaned. "Great. Now he'll never let us live it down..."

* * *

"How are you feeling?" You asked Ed, who was still sitting on the bed.

He shrugged. "Okay I guess. My back's kinda sore though."

You looked at him thoughtfully before walking over and sitting behind him. Ed blushed as he felt your hands crawl up his shirt.

"What're you-"

"Haven't you ever had a back massage? Whenever my back got really sore from farming, one of these always made me feel better. Now relax, it won't work if you stay all stiff." You explained, massaging his back.

Ed didn't answer, but you felt his body relax under your hands. Smiling, you continued to rub his shoulders. After a while, Ed finally spoke.

"Thanks Aka," he said, "You were right, I do feel a lot better now."

You smiled again and started to pull back your hands, but Ed reached around and grabbed your arm.

"I wasn't asking you to stop." He said quietly.

You blushed, but hesitantly started to rub his back again. You heard Ed sigh and blushed even more. As you rubbed his back, you noticed the hard muscles underneath. You weren't surprised, you knew how often Ed practiced his hand-to-hand combat. But you still blushed as you pictured Ed with his shirt off.

Your stomach suddenly felt funny. You stopped and frowned, trying to figure out what it was. You felt Ed turn around slightly to look at you over his shoulder.

"Aka?" he asked, "You okay? You look kinda funny..."

You looked up at him and felt your stomach do another flip-flop. Absentmindely, you let your arms fall to hug your stomach. "I feel funny..." You said quietly.

"What kind of funny?" He asked.

You looked away. "I dunno...I've never felt this way before..." You felt the weight on the bed shift and looked back. Blushing, you realized that Ed's face was really close to yours.

"Ed...?" You asked softly. He didn't answer, but his face got closer to yours. Your face turned a shade of red never seen, but you didn't pull back. Then, just as his face was about a millimeter away...

* * *

...suspense moment...

* * *

**...the phone rang. **

You and Ed jerked your head in the direction of the ring. "Since when has that been there?" Ed grumbled. You blushed and looked away. Ed glanced at you and sighed before getting up and answering the phone.

As he talked, you stared at the wall, your face a little red. You felt so funny, and yet...so happy. A small smile crept onto your face as Ed hung up the phone.

"Hey, Aka?" He asked. You turned around to look at him.

"That was Al. He said he got some information from some people in town about Rune Ore. I'm gonna go check it out. Wanna come?" He asked. You nodded and stood up.

"Yeah, yesterday's attempt was pretty pitiful, I wanna give finding the ore another try." You said. Ed smiled faintly.

"You can't stand failing, can you?" He said teasingly. You crossed your arms and smirked.

"Just trying to be less like you and Mustang." You said smugly. Ed glared at you.

"Hey! Don't compare me to that jerk, he's a bigger failure than anybody!" He protested. You laughed and flicked his forhead.

"You just keep telling yourself that." You said, still laughing. Ed was about to say something else, but you picked up his jacket and threw it at him.

"Enough talk, we gotta go get some rune ore!" You said enthusiastically. (whoa...big word...not even caring if it's spelled right...) Ed grumbled, but slipped his coat on. Smiling you made for the door with Ed following.

Deciding to avoid an awkward silence, you asked, "Where is Al anyway?" Ed shrugged.

"He said he was standing outside some house on the far-end of town. I figure we can't miss him." He told you.

"Guess that's a good thing about the armor: Al's easy to keep track of." You said happily. Ed laughed.

"Yeah, no kidding. But there are times when he slips away from me..." This made you smirk. "Of course Ed, only _you_ could loose track of a six-foot piece of armor." Ed gave you an annoyed look, but said nothing. You rolled your eyes at his behavior.

"Jeez Ed, I was just kidding!" You said. Ed looked at you and smiled faintly.

"I know." He said quietly, grabbing your hand and intwining his fingers in it. You blushed, but held on to his hand. Looking around, you couldn't help but notice that Iselia had never been prettier...

You smiled the through the whole walk, you couldn't help it! You were just so happy! You couldn't remember a time you'd been happier. Looking up at Ed, you smiled and squeezed his hand a little. He smiled back and tugged you closer to him. It made your funny feel kind of funny, but now you knew it was a good kind of funny.

Looking down the street, you saw a familar armor standing in front of someone's house.

"Al!" You called, waving your free arm. He looked in your direction and waved back, walking towards you and Ed.

"There you are! I was beginning to think-wait, are you two holding hands?" Al exclaimed. You and Ed blushed, letting each other go. But both of you did it reluctantly. Al chuckled at you two.

"Did you find any Rune Ore?" Asked Ed, trying to change the subject. Al nodded.

"I think so. There's a man living in this house called Altessa (yep, nother tales of symphonia name. deal with it, i could friggin marry that game) who says he has a family heirloom from the caves. I was waiting for you guys to get here before looking at it, but I didn't realize you were _busy_." He said in a teasing voice. Both you and Ed turned bright red.

_I don't believe Al! He never seemed like the type to do this kind of stuff!...But I guess it is his job...being a little brother and all_ You thought, _But I guess the armor doesn't make him seem so** little**_ The thought made you laugh out loud.

"What's so funny?" Asked Ed, looking confused.

"Nothing, just thinking about how short you are compared to Al!" You said. Ed got an anime vein and glared at you.

"**WHO YOU CALLIN SO SHORT THAT THEY LOOK LIKE THEIR RELATED TO DWARVES AND PIXIES**?" He yelled. You and Al burst out laughing as people around you started to stare.

"Shaddup! It's not that funny!" Ed yelled.

"Yes it is!" You and Al said in unison, still laughing.

_Ed looks so cute when he's angry!_ You thought, then mentally broke your nose. _Stop it! Ed's just a friend!...Isn't he? _

"What's all the commotion outside my house?" came a voice. Turning, you saw a man with a large gray beard standing not too far away from you. He wore a long green shirt with faded brown pants underneath.

"Oh, hello Altessa!" Al said cheerfully.

* * *

"Oh, hello Alphonse. Are these the friends you were waiting for?" Asked Altessa. Al nodded.

"Yes, Altessa? This is my older brother, Edward, and our friend, Akari (yeah, the guys know your name now. but they'll call you aka for short) Guys, this is Altessa."

Ed nodded to him. "Hey, nice to meet you. You can just call me Ed by the way." You nodded as well.

"Yeah, most people call me Aka for short." You told Altessa. He looked down at you.

"I'll try to remember that Aka. And- forgive me for asking, but- might you by chance be an Ishbalan?" You blushed and looked at the ground, not used to being asked this question.

"Um- yes, but I don't- uh- practice their beleifs or anything..." You stammered.

"Aka practices alchemy, she's actually pretty good at it." Ed said. You smiled at him, knowing he was trying to make you feel better.

"An alchemist you say? Now I understand...are you looking to use the rune ore?" Altessa asked. You shook your head.

"No, we just want to study it. We won't even take it out of the house." You assured him. Altessa sighed in releif.

"Good. It's such an old family treasure, I'd never forgive myself if something happend to it. Your free to look at it all you want. Just be careful." Ed nodded and walked towards the house.

"Don't worry about it gramps!" He called over his shoulder, "I'll be careful with it!" Rolling your eyes at Ed's misuse of proper names, you followed him into the house.

On the inside, the house was pretty small. Infact, it was more like a one-room cottage.

"Here you are." Altessa said, pulling a box off of one of the hanging shelves. He set it on the table and opened it, revealing a dark orange stone inside.

Ed picked it up and squinted at it for a while. "It's mineral properties aren't like most ores." Ed said, "But it is similar to a red stone."

Taking the stone from Ed, you held it out on your palm and focused on it, making a few red sparks in your hand. The stone responded by emitting its own orange sparks.

"That kind of looks like the effect of Roy's gloves." Al commented. "Do you think their similar?" You shrugged and handed the rune ore back to Ed, deciding to let them take notes.

"So," You said, turning to Altessa, "Do you have any relatives in town or something?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do." Altessa said. "My son farther into town with his wife and children. I used to live farther away from the town, but after my wife passed away recently, my son asked my to move closer to him. So, here I am." You smiled faintly at him.

"I'm glad you have family close by. I lost someone quite recently to." You told Altessa. He looked at you with surprise.

"That's a shame." Said Altessa, "Losing a loved on at a young age. You must miss them very much. I can't count the amount of tears I've shed for my wife..." Altessa broke off, looking a little misty-eyed. You looked down and bit your lip, thinking hard.

_Did I ever cry for dad? I don't think so...but why? What's wrong with me? I mean, I don't want to feel sad all the time, but I should cry for him...shouldn't I? _

You felt a tap on your shoulder and looked up to see Ed standing next to you. You hadn't even noticed him walk towards you.

"Hey, we're done taking notes on the rune ore, so we're gonna leave now. You comin?" He asked. Dimly, you nodded and followed him out, not even noticing where you were going. Suddenly...

"**AKA**!" Ed yelled.You looked at him, but didn't stop walking. Your eyes widened when your saw him rush towards, you, seizing your arm and jerking it towards him. You winced and fell, landing painfully on your but. Blinking, you looked up just in time to see a horse and buggy fly past, right where you'd been standing.

"Aka, are you nuts? You almost got ran over!" Ed was yelling. You didn't answer, Ed sighed and held out a hand to you, helping you stand.

"Are you alright Aka?" Asked Al, "You look like something's wrong..." You bent your head, clutching your chest.

"Th-There _is_ something wrong...with...with me!" You stammered, turning around and dashing off.

* * *

**MWAHAHA!** so close to a kissing scene, yet so far? what's with aka though, huh? why did she run off? what if she never comes back? then there'll **NEVER **be a kissing scene! MWAHA- cough cough...wheeze

argh. all of this maniacal laughter is giving me asthma.

yes, it's medically possible

-zago


	19. Tears That Won't Fall

helloall! check this out- i updated like, what, yesterday! that's right! **YESTERDAY! **i'm on a roll like skier trapped in an avalanche...! yeah, i usually use morbid analogies like this. it's fun.

anyway...let's go through this..._again..._

F-M-A...is-not-mine...so-steal-ing-it...is not-my-crime

and yes, when i rhyme, you _should _be afraid

* * *

-----Part 19 - Tears that won't fall-----

_**Recap**-Aka and the Elrics _(sounds like a band)_ went to see a guy named Altessa who inherited some rune ore from his family. While studying it, you talked with Altessa about his wife and Hojo, and you realized that you had never cried for Hojo's death. After almost getting run over, Aka ran off._

**Start-Ed's POV**: _I wonder if we can find a red stone...I've never done much study on it, and it would be nice to compare it to rune ore... _You thought, musing over your studies. You heard a rattle down the street and looked up to see a horse-and-buggy speeding down the road. But Aka didn't seem to see it, she was walking right in front of it!

"Aka!" You yelled, rushing towards her. She just looked at you in surprise. Gripping her arm, you pulled her backwards, causing you both to land on your buts on the side of the road.

Quickly getting up, you looked down at Aka and saw that she was just sitting there, looking dazed.

"Aka, are you nuts! You almost got ran over!" You said, looking a little angry. Aka just looked at you with a dull expression on her face. Sighing, you held out a hand to her and helped you up.

"Are you alright Aka?" Asked Al, "You look like something's wrong..."

Aka got a pained expression on her face and turned away.

"There _is_ something wrong...with-me!" She stammered, turning around and dashing off.

"Aka, come back!" You yelled after her. But she just kept on running. You looked back at Al with a worried look.

"What do you think is wrong?" You asked. Al hung his head.

"I don't know, do you think it was something I said?" He asked, sounding worried. You shook your head.

"Nah, I think something's going on." You told him reassuringly, "C'mon, we gotta catch up to her." Al nodded and started following you.

* * *

**Aka's POV- **You had no idea where you were going, but you didn't really care. You wanted to get away from yourself, even though you knew it was impossible. You hated yourself so much, but you didn't understand why.

Ducking under a bridge, you sat down and hugged your knees to your stomach, trying to cry. But the tears wouldn't come.

_I don't get it! _You screamed in your mind _Why the heck can't I cry? _When people were sad, they were supposed to cry! So why couldn't you? You had felt sad, but you had never _cried_.

Not when Vharley put a trigger at your best friends.  
Not when you thought Ed hated you.  
Not even when your own father died.  
_Why? Did I not...love him enough? Was that it? Should I have been more sad? _

You tried to focus on how you'd felt when Hojo had died, and relived it all over again. The bloody wound, the quiet words, the little smile on his face...it sent a knife through your stomach. But your eyes wouldn't water...

* * *

Al's POV: You and Ed had lost track of Aka, so the two of you had decided to split up. Ed was searching the east side of town and you were searching west.

_I hope we find her soon_ You thought, worried, _She seemed so upset... _

Your thoughts were interrupted by the sound of pounding near the bridge and a familiar voice.

"Dammit! What-the-hell-is-wrong with me!" It yelled, pounding between words.

_That's Aka's voice!_ You thought ducking down under the bridge. Aka was punching the wall, looking furious about something. You grabbed wrist to make her stop, but she just yanked it back in surprise and fell backwards.

She didn't' bother to look up at you, she just sighed and looked at the ground.

"Aka, what's bothering you?" You asked her. She didn't reply. You knelt down so you could see her face more clearly.

"Aka, I'm your friend. You can trust me, I swear." You told her. She didn't answer for a while, then looked at you with a pained expression on her face.

"Al, there's something wrong with me." She said sadly.

"Something wrong?" You asked, confused.

"I-I mean...I can't...cry..." She said slowly.

"Can't cry? What do you mean?" You asked, now more confused than ever. Aka's expression became even more pained.

"W-when Hojo died...I didn't even cry. I-I can't explain it, but...I just didn't cry for him." She stammered.

"Well, a lot of things were happening-"

"So what?" She interrupted, "That's not much of an excuse! Even now, I can't cry! People are supposed to cry when they're sad, right? So why won't I cry?" She asked, her voice strained. You were abou to say something, but she continued.

"It's not just that!" She said, "I've been trying to think of the last time I cried, and I can't remember! I-I don't think I've ever cried! D-don't you get it? There's something wrong with me!" She gasped. The two of you sat in silence while she started breathing heavily. Then, you reached up and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Aka, there's nothing wrong with you." You told her. She opened her mouth to protest, but you didn't give her the chance.

"I'll admit," You said, "that it's weird you can't cry. But you do feel sad, and that's not strange at all. I can't explain why you can't cry, but I don't think it's your fault. I don't think crying has anything to do with how sad you feel, it just happens sometimes. Like with smiling! Just because you smile, it doesn't mean your happy inside. Crying is the same thing. If you don't cry, it's not because you don't feel sad...okay?" You finished.

Aka stared at you for a little while before faintly smiling.

"Thank you Al." She said, "Really, I'm lucky to have a friend like you."

* * *

**Aka's POV**-Al stood up and you quickly followed suit, not wanting to sit around and mope all day long.

Al's right You thought, Just because I don't cry doesn't mean I don't miss Hojo.

Getting back to the road, you saw Al looking in a bunch of directions.

"What's up?" You asked. He looked at you put a hand on his forehead.

"Ed and I split up to find you, and...well...I don't know where he is." You winced and gave Al a sheepish smile.

"Sorry. Guess I shouldn't have run off like that. Here-why don't you go back to the hotel. It's not fair to make you run around trying to find your brother-it's my fault he's out there in the first place."

"Are you sure you don't want any help?" Asked Al. You shook your head.

"It's okay. I'll get Ed and meet you back at the hotel."

"Alright, good luck."

You barely heard him as you dashed off to find Ed...

You looked all around town, but couldn't catch a glimpse of him anywhere.

_I don't get it, did he go back to the hotel? _You thought, then shook your head. _Nah, he's too stubborn. He wouldn't rest until he found me_ Turning the corner though, you saw otherwise.

_Or...maybe not_ You thought with a sweatdrop. Ed was sitting in front of you, his back against a wall. His head was drooped, and bending down, you saw that he was asleep. You felt a flash of guilt for making him look for you.

_His back probably hasn't healed up yet...he shouldn't of been running around. _

Reaching up, you shook his shoulder gently. He flinched in his sleep and his eyes fluttered open, revealing that beautiful gold.

"Aka...?" He asked softy. You gave him a sheepish grin.

"Hey there. I'm sorry I made you worry, I was pretty out of it...are you okay?" You asked. Ed shrugged.

"I'm fine, but what about you? What was the deal?" Ed asked. You sighed and plopped down besides him.

"I was upset..." You started slowly. Ed rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I kind of gathered that."

"Do you want to know or not?" You snapped at him.

"Just tell me." He said. Sighing, you continued.

"Anyway...I was upset because...I can't cry."

"What?"

"I'm serious, I can't cry. I don't know why, but no matter how hard I try, my eyes just won't water. I was upset because...I thought it was my fault or something. And then I thought about how I never cried for Hojo, and I got mad at myself for not caring enough."

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Of course you cared about your dad! You don't need some stupid drops of liquid to tell you that!" Ed said forcefully.

"I know...well, I do now anyways. Al found me and sorted me out."

"He did? Damn, I thought for sure I'd find you first...but Al's better at that kind of stuff than I am."

"What kind of stuff?"

"You know, cheering people up. He just does it better than me." You smiled and scooted over, grabbing Ed's hand and entwining your fingers with his.

"You cheer me up." You told him softy. "Better than anybody." You giggled as Ed blushed a little.

Still holding your hand, Ed stood up and pulled you up with him.

"C'mon, it's getting late. We'd better get back to the hotel, we're leaving Iseila tomorrow." Ed told you. You nodded, then suddenly broke out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Ed asked. You grinned at him.

"Do you realize," You said, "Just how much has happened since we got here? You found out I was a girl, we almost got killed in those caves, we found rune ore, and I had a mental breakdown! Oh, and we-um-well, you know..." You trailed off, blushing. Ed looked confused.

"Know what?" He asked. You blushed even deeper.

"That we-um...almost...kissed once..." You stammered. Ed blushed to, but then held out an arm to stop you.

"No we didn't." He said. You looked at him in shock.

"Wh-what do you mean? Y-You!...Weren't we...?" You stammered, your face bright red. But Ed just shook his head.

"We didn't _almost kiss_." He said.

"Yes we-" But you were broken off once again as Ed's lips met yours. Your eyes widened to the point you thought they'd fall out of your head, and your knees almost buckled under the emotional overload. As Ed pulled away, you almost fell, but he grabbed your shoulders, keeping you steady. You looked at him in confusion, searching his face for an explanation. He just smiled at you.

"We didn't _almost kiss_," He told you, "We _did kiss_."

* * *

-----**Sometime later-----**

"Sorry again about the crap I pulled earlier." You said. The Elrics looked at you and shrugged at the same time.

"It's no big deal. Just...talk to us next time before running off, okay?" Al said. You giggled and nodded at him.

"I'll make sure to try."

"Glad to hear it." Ed said, "You all packed?"

The three of you had decided that you weren't going to find anything else in Iselia, so you'd spent most of the afternoon packing and reviewing the Rune Ore notes.

Now the sky was dark, and you were just sitting around the hotel room with the Elrics. Al was sitting on his bed while Ed sat besides it on the floor, and you were sitting on the ground, leaning against Ed's bed. You and Ed were wearing your pj's, as the three of you had decided to get some early rest before leaving tomorrow.

You looked over at Ed and nodded. "Of course I am." You told him. "It's not like I have that much stuff."

"Oh yeah...are you sure you don't want to buy some new clothes before we leave?"

"No...why, is there something wrong with the ones I have?"

Ed blushed and started waving his hands frantically.

"N-no!" He stammered. "I-I think they're great! I mean-well..." He broke off, his face redder than your eyes.

You fell backwards and burst out laughing. Al was laughing to, making Ed blush even more, if it was possible.

"It's okay Ed, I get it. But I don't think I need them right now. If I need them later, I'll just get 'em later."

Ed sighed and started to get up.

"Alright, if you-**AHH**!"

As Ed tried to push himself off of the floor with his metal arm, you heard a clinking sound and watched in surprise as it collapsed underneath him, causing him to fall back down.

"Ed! You okay?" You asked, scooting over to him. With some effort, Ed propped himself up on his left arm and looked up at you, nodding.

"Fine...but Winry's gonna kill me...I can't move my arm."

"Oh no!" Exclaimed Al, "Do you think it was damaged in the earthquake?" You winced, picturing how the all those rocks had fallen on Ed.

"But that was yesterday morning, why would it take so long to break apart?" You asked. Al gave a metal shrug.

"Maybe Ed just didn't apply enough pressure on it until now."

"Maybe..." Ed said. "Either way though, it's still broken. And I'd rather keep going with two arms."

"Yeah, you don't punch to well with your left arm...does this mean we're going to Risembool?" Asked Al.

"Really! That's great! I've been dying to go there!" You exclaimed.

"You have?" The Elrics exclaimed in unison. You nodded.

"Yeah, you guys have told me so much about it, it kinda makes me wanna go!" You said with a smile. Ed sighed and scratched his head.

"Guess that means our trip'll have to wait...We'll see if we can find any trains to Risembool tomorrow.

"It's getting late, we should get some rest." Al said. You got up and walked over to where the three of you had been burning a candle and blew it out.

Now the room was almost pitch-black save for the moonlight through the window.

Al was already laying on his bed and Ed was on his way to his. You grabbed his left arm as he walked by you.

"Um...Ed?" you whispered.

"Yeah?" he whispered back.

"Can I...can I bunk with you tonight."

"Huh? Oh, yeah...sure, I mean, if you want to..."

"Thanks Ed."

Ed lifted the covers for you to get in first before getting in himself.

"Night Ed." You whispered.

"Night." Ed replied sleepily.

You heard a slight clinking as Ed struggled to move his arm and felt a pang of guilt. If you hadn't slowed down...you shivered, remembering Scorpulus's eerie voice.

Suddenly, you felt Ed's good arm slide around your waist and pull you closer.

"Cold?"

"A little..." You admitted, blushing a bit. "I'm sorry about your arm Ed."

"Wasn't your fault."

You turned around to look at him, frowning. "Yeah, but if I hadn't slowed down-"

"Don't worry about it." Ed interrupted gently, his golden eyesboreing into your red ones. You smiled and snuggled (oh dear gawd, did i really just type that? _shiver...hits herself over the head repeatedly..._) closer to him.

"Thanks Ed. I owe you a lot."

"Yeah, you kinda do."

* * *

**Ed's POV**:_Water was splashing everywhere, and even though it was really sunny, you didn't feel too hot. You were at the beach for some weird reason, but you didn't mind. It was the perfect day. The kind of day that couldn't get much better..._

"Hey Ed!"_ Called a voice._

_Turning, you saw Aka standing in the water...wearing a red bikini._

_Okay, maybe it could get better._

"C'mon Edward! Come swim!" _Aka called._

_You tried to walk towards her, but your legs wouldn't listen._

"Ed...Ed..." _Aka kept calling. Then-_

**"ED!"** A voice screamed in your ear. Your eyes snapped open to see Aka and Al hovering over you. Aka was pressing something to your face.

Jerking up, you tried to shove her hand away, but it wouldn't budge.

"Cut it out Ed, I'm trying to get your nose to stop bleeding! Honestly, the way it's gushing...did you dream someone broke your nose or something?

You took the handkerchief she'd been holding to your nose and tipped your head back.

_No_ You thought, _I was dreaming something a heck of a lot better...

* * *

...__still hitting herself over the head..._gah, it's offical. being out of school has turned my brain into mush. wait- it was mush when i was in school too. does that mean...it got mushi_er?_...

and who says writers aren't vivid?

-zago


	20. Ed's Crappy Day

i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry,

**I AM SO EFFING SORRY!**

i know, i've been gone for **MONTHS** and you guys probably **HATE ME**, but i'm still going to post for you poor victims of a cruel writer's heart. so, pretending like nothing is wrong-

i don't own FMA (nor do i deserve it at the moment)

aka is mine (i don't deserve it, but i'll keep her anyway)

...**I'M SORRY!

* * *

**

_Recap-Ed's automail arm broke, so your group decided to take a detour to Resimbool to get it fixed. Ed had an 'interesting' dream about you, and woke up with his nose bleeding._

Start- Aka's POV: The three of you had left the hotel and were on the way to the train station, you and Ed carrying your luggage. You glanced up at Al.

"You sure we didn't forget anything?"

"Yes, I checked pretty carefully. You and Ed didn't seem to leave anything behind, and it's not like I have any luggage." Al replied. You smiled up at him.

"That actually makes you kind of lucky: you don't have to carry anything!"

"Well, if you're bag's too heavy, I'd be happy to-"

"Nah, don't bother. I'm not a wimp, I can handle it." You assured him. Ed looked at him suspiciously.

"Hey! How come you never offer to help me carry my stuff?" Ed demanded.

"Because then you'd make me carry more than I have to Brother. At least Aka wouldn't take advantage of me."

"What?" Ed exclaimed, "Name _one_ time I've taken advantage of you!"

"Well, there was that prank you pulled on Roy and the 'missing cash,' the time you told Winry I broke your arm instead of admitting it was your fault, the time-"

"I said _one_ time Al!" Ed interrupted, a little red-faced. You laughed at him.

"Well, it just goes to show what a lousy sibling you are!" You said teasingly. Ed shot you a glare.

"Who asked you?"

"Nobody, good thing I stepped in!" You replied cheerfully. Ed groaned.

"Man, I knew I shouldn't have let you come. Now you and Al are gonna double team me everywhere I go..."

"Not everywhere brother, just where you're wrong." Al told him.

"So yeah, in your case: everywhere." You smirked.

"Aw shuddup. We're at the train station." Ed grumbled. Looking up you saw he was right.

"Okay maybe you're right about _some_ things." You said.

"Gee, thanks." Ed said sarcastically.

"But you still have less sense than a mushroom." You continued, "And less height..."

"WHAT?" Ed exploded, "WHO YOU CALLIN SO SHORT THAT AN ANT WOULD MISTAKE THEM FOR THE LEADER OF THE BUG PEOPLE?" He yelled, running after you as you- literally, not figuratively- ran for your life.

* * *

Quickly flashing your ticket past the conductor, you dashed up the platform and onto the train, Ed close behind. Ducking into a closed compartment, you kneeled on the floor and looked through the window cautiously. As soon as Ed's face came into view you ducked down, praying he hadn't seen you.

You stayed like that for a while before deciding to risk it. Looking through the window, you saw that no one was there. Sighing in relief, you opened the door...

...and Ed pounced on you from behind.

"Ha! I thought I saw you in there!" He said, pulling you into a headlock with his one arm.

"Dammit, I thought you'd left already!" You groaned. At the same time though, you couldn't help but blush at how close Ed was.

_I guess we've kinda gotten closer,_ You thought, _Now that he knows I'm a girl and all..._

Ed finally released you from the headlock and you swayed a little, light headed from the lack of air. Ed grabbed your shoulder with his good arm and helped you steady yourself as you gasped for air.

"Uh, sorry..." He said, looking a bit sheepish, "Didn't mean to suffocate you or anything."

"S'okay." You said, still a little out of breath, "I won't die till after I kill you."

"You make plans about killing me?"

"Every minute."

Ed smirked and let go of your shoulder, wrapping his arm around your waist and pulling you closer.

"Didn't realize you thought about me that much." He said teasingly.

"Don't flatter yourself." You said flatly, though it was wasted by how red your cheeks were now.

Ed chuckled and leaned into your face, kissing your lips softly. You smiled into his lips and reached up to grab his shoulder, pulling him closer. Then Ed suddenly pulled back, smiling down at you.

"You can be pretty annoying sometimes, but you're a pretty good kisser." He said.

"Wish I could say the same for you." You said teasingly. Ed gave you an annoyed look, but then broke out into a grin.

"Like I said: annoying, but a hell of a kisser." You looked away, almost positive that your face could now use Ed's jacket as camouflage. Ed laughed again and grabbed your arm.

"C'mon, we gotta go find Al before he misses the train looking for us." He said, dragging you down the hall. You glared at him and yanked your arm away.

"What's with you? I can walk on my own legs you know- you don't have to drag me around."

"Could've fooled me. You practically walk into walls whenever I'm not."

"Do not!"

"Do too."

"Since when?"

"That time at Central? The hallway was like ten feet long, but you still ran right into the door."

"Gimme a break." You groaned, "You made me do fifty laps around the whole friggin building! You try walking straight after that."

"Lover's quarrel?" Came an amused voice. Looking up, you saw Al sitting in one of the compartments to your right.

"Cut it out." Ed mumbled, sitting down across from Al and dragging you down besides him.

"We were just talking about Central." Ed told Al. Al sighed.

"It seems like such a long time ago..." He said, looking out the window. You and Ed followed suit.

"Yeah...I mean, a lot has happened since we left." You said thoughtfully. "It feels like forever since we said goodbye to Hughes and Armstrong."

"Maybe that's why time passes so quickly." Ed said, "When you're traveling I mean."

You turned around to grin at him.

"Well _sor-ry_ if this trip isn't going slow enough, I don't control the freaks who come after us."

"That's too bad, it'd save us a hell of a lot of trouble." Ed muttered.

"We do seem to meet a lot of interesting people." Al commented.

"I kinda like that about traveling." You said, smiling a little. "It gives you the chance to make friends with really neat kinds of people."

"Yeah, except this one freak me and Al met in Trezanga." Ed said teasingly. You glared and hit him over the head.

"Shut it Ed, or I'll kick your ass."

"Like you and your wimpy sword could."

"You've only got one arm-I think my chances are more than good."

"Who says I need my arms?"

"I do. You can't use alchemy without both arms, and everyone knows your useless without your alchemy."

"Hey! I can fight without my alchemy!"

"Not very well! And you're still missing an arm."

"I can still beat you any day of the week."

"Okay you two, enough fighting. You sound like an old married couple." Al interrupted.

"DO NOT!" You and Ed yelled in unison. You glanced at each other and looked away, both of you blushing.

"You guys are _way_ too easy." Al said, laughing.

* * *

"So anyway..." You started, trying to change the subject, "What's Resimbool like?"

"Eh, not much." Ed said nonchalantly. You rolled your eyes.

"Thank you for that oh-so-detailed description. Al?"

"Kind of like Trezanga in terms of farming, but the houses are more spread apart, and the people are more accepting."

"That's good to hear. Is Winry the only person you knew?"

"Nah, we knew a bunch of other people, but we saw Winry the most. She's been friends with us since we were practically toddlers." Ed said, chuckling.

"We had other friends, but Winry's always been our closest." Al told you.

"And me?" You asked. You couldn't help but be curious.

"Well, I think you and Winry are both really close friends to us, you're just different kinds of friends." Al explained. Ed snorted.

"They're both bossy, neither of them ever shut up, and they're both weirdos- what's so different about them?" He said. You glared at him and grabbed one of his hair bangs, tugging on it hard.

"OW! What the hell was that for!" Ed yelled, wincing in pain.

"Jeez Ed, you're such a wimp." You said.

"Oh yeah? Well, see how you like it!" Ed exclaimed, reaching over and tugging on your hair.

"OW! I wasn't telling you to do it to me!" You cried. Ed just smiled smugly.

"See? It hurt you to!"

"Oh c'mon, I didn't pull as hard as you did."

"Yes you did!"

"Am I gonna have to separate you two?" Al asked in an annoyed voice. You looked over at him with pleading eyes.

"Please do!"

"Forget it, you two deserve each other." Al said, getting up.

"Where're you goin?" Ed asked.

"I forgot to ask the conductor how long the train ride would be. Try not to kill each other while I'm gone." Al answered, walking off.

You and Ed sat in silence for a while until Ed yawned widely.

"Tired?"

"Sorta. Trains make me bored."

"Al said you sleep a lot on trains."

"I don't sleep _that_ much."

"You slept pretty soundly on the last one." You said. Ed shrugged.

"It was pretty early, and I didn't get much sleep."

"So, since you slept in today, you won't fall asleep on the train?"

"Maybe."

"What _were_ you dreaming about that made you sleep in so late?"

"Nothing." Ed said, but you saw a hint of red on his cheeks.

"Your nose was bleeding...did you have a dream about me breaking your nose?"

"That'd be more like a nightmare, you being in it."

"You've dreamed about me before."

"What?"

"One time at Central. I remember, you were mumbling something about me calling you short in your sleep."

"Liar."

"Stop confusing me with you." Ed was about to say something back, but grinned instead.

"Al was right."

"Can we get that confession on tape?"

"I mean about us killing each other."

"Then I have to kill you first-I'd hate to see Hughes lose money." You said smugly. Ed actually laughed.

"Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that. Who do you think Mustang bet on?"

"He probably bet that Al would stuff us in a box and send us back."

Ed laughed again. "If anyone could do it, it'd be him. But Mustang would probably not open it if he knew _you_ were in there." A thought suddenly crossed your mind, and you looked out the window.

"Aka?" Ed asked, confused. You looked back at him with a sad expression on your face.

"They don't know..." You said softly.

Ed blinked in surprise, and then looked down.

"Yeah...I guess they don't..." He said.

"Wh-what if they hate me?" You stammered. You couldn't believe you hadn't thought of this earlier. Ed looked up at you sharply.

"They will _not_ hate you Aka." He said flatly.

"But-"

"But nothing. Some of them might be a little angry, but none of them will hate you, ya hear? So stop worrying about it."

"But-"

"_Stop._" He said forcefully, staring straight at you. You sighed and looked away.

"I just hope you're right..." You said.

Suddenly, you felt Ed's hand pressing against your back, pushing you into his chest.

"Don't worry about it." Ed said softly, "It'll be okay." You smiled a little and snuggled (dammit, there's that word again!) up against his chest, using him as a sort of pillow.

* * *

The two of you stayed like that until Al came back. He seemed to do a double-take when his gaze fell over the two of you, making you blush.

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" He asked. You quickly sat up.

"N-no." you stammered, blushing furiously. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Ed doing the same thing.

"Well, anyway-the conductor said we'd be in Resimbool in about half an hour."

"Really! That was quick!" You exclaimed. Ed looked at you and cocked an eyebrow.

"You _really_ want to see this place, don't you?" He asked. You smiled and nodded.

"I think it'd just be nice to see where you guys grew up. And meeting Winry sounds interesting."

"I think you and Winry will get along pretty well." Al commented, "You're both pretty friendly. And she has a dog..."

"Really? That's so cool! What's his name?"

"Uh...Den...oh, and he has an automail leg." Ed says.

"Really? Wow, that's even cooler! I didn't know you could put automail on animals!"

"Yeah, I guess so...since when do you like dogs so much?" Ed asked, confused.

"Since forever! I always wanted a dog back in Trezanga, but my Dad never let me..."

"Oh yeah-I remember you offering to look after Black Hayate a lot back at Central." Al said. "Guess you really like dogs." You gave him a cheezy grin.

"Can't help it! They're just so cute! Oh, but I guess you're more of a cat person..."

"No, that's okay-I like dogs a lot to. And Winry got Den when we were still pretty little, so I like him a lot."

"Yeah, the mutt kinda grows on ya..." Ed said. You glared and punched his shoulder.

"Don't call dogs mutts! It's rude!"

"Well it's not like they know the difference!" Ed retorted, glaring.

"That's it," Al declared, "If you two get into one more fight before we reach Resimbool, I'm going to throw you both off of this train!" You couldn't help but laugh.

"Sorry Al, we'll try to be good." You said, patting Ed's head. Ed gave an annoyed sigh and pushed your hand off.

"This is going to be a long day..." He said glumly.

* * *

You stepped onto the platform and dropped your bags, streching.

"Argh...I hate long train rides!" You complained, "They make my legs all jelly!"

"Yeah, but at least nothing happened this time." Al said thoughtfully. You winced, remembering your last two train rides.

"Ugh, don't remind me. I should start walking more often." You groaned. Ed looked over at you and smirked.

"Okay, then you won't mind if we leave you behind here." He said teasingly. You glared and tossed a small ball of lightning at his head.

"Ow! Damn it Aka, that hurt!"

"Gimme a break!" You retorted, "That didn't even have one volt in it!"

"Why don't we get going, Winry's house is a bit of a walk from the train station." Al said, intervening. Grumbling, you picked up your bags and followed the Elrics out of the station.

Looking around, you saw that Al was right. Resimbool kind of reminded you of home. But Trezanga was a lot more flat, while Resimbool had hills everywhere.

"This place is kinda cool. A little quiet, but it's nice." You said.

"I guess it's okay." Ed said, "I mean, it hasn't changed much since we left. But it's a nice place to relax."

"Don't we need it." Commented Al. You laughed, remembering just how busy your last few days had been.

"Hey Aka," Al suddenly said, pointing ahead, "See that house?"

"Yeah."

"That's where Winry lives."

"Sweet! So, we're almost there?"

"Yeah..."

"SWEET!" You yelled, grabbing Ed's good arm. "C'mon, let's go!"

Ed scowled and tugged his arm out of your grip. "Not yet." He said, "Gimme a minute."

"For what?" You pouted.

"My head."

"Huh?"

"You'll see."

"Brother, I don't think she'll do it this time." Al said. Ed scoffed.

"Yeah, and Roy's gone gay."

"O-kay..." You said hesitantly, "What the heck are you guys talking about?"

"What's Winry gonna-"

"**EDWARD ELRIC!**" A voice interrupted. Looking up, you saw a tall blonde girl running out of the house with a wrench held high over her head.

Still staring, you barely noticed Al gently pull you out of her way as she charged at Ed-

And started beating him to a pulp with her wrench.

"You wait-_six months_-"

"Winry!"

"_-no letters-_"

"_Winry!"_

"-could be dead for all we know-"

"**WINRY!**"

"-and then when you finally do show up, you've broken my automail?" She shreiked, hitting his head one last time before putting it in a tool belt. Crossing her arms, she glared down at Ed's now-half-concious form.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" She demanded.

"Get softer tools..." Ed grunted, his voice cracking.

Winry rolled her eyes and turned to you and Al. "Hey Al, how're you- wait, who're you?" She suddenly said, staring at you.

"Oh, um...this is Aka. Aka, this is the friend we told you about, Winry."

"Oh, hey. Nice to meet ya." You said, holding out a hand. Winry smiled and shook it.

"Nice to meet you two. So, what're you doing with the Elrics?"

"Traveling." You answered, "We're kind of helping each other find something."

"Oh, so you're helping them find the Philosopher's Stone?" Winry asked, "Wait- does that mean-"

"Yes, Aka's a state alchemist too." Al answered. Winry looked at you curiously for a moment before shrugging and turning towards the house.

"Come on in guys, my grandma's running some errands, but she'll be back later."

Looking behind, you saw that Ed wasn't moving.

"Um, Winry? I think you knocked Ed out."

"I did? Oh well, it's easier to work on his automail when he's asleep. He keeps fidgeting if he's awake..." She said scornfully. "Al, would you mind carrying him in?"

"Sure." Al said, walking over and picking up his unconscious brother. You giggled as he passed by, seeing the swirls in Ed's eyes.

"Now I get it." You said quietly.

* * *

and there you have it. i'll update again soon, scout's honor.

oh wait- i hated girl scouts.

-zago


	21. The Infamous Mechanic, and dog

see? i'm trying to update! really! i swear on my videogames!...okay, that was stupid.

rule #869858594375843782 of life-

never. bet. anything. on. a. videogame.

it sucks when you lose. anyway...

fma isn't _mine_. ed isn't _mine_. aka is _mine_.

is ita good idea to say '_mine_' in a disclamer so much?

* * *

_**Recap**-You and the Elrics made it to Resimbool, where you 'met' Winry. Now the three of you have been invited to stay at her house. _

**Start-**Looking up, you noticed a sign above Winry's house that read:

_Rockbell Automail_

"So you're an automailist?" You asked Winry, though from Ed's stories, you already knew the answer.

"Yep! My grandma's been teaching me since I was little." Winry said. Sighing, she claped her hands together and got all starry-eyed. "And once you're introduced to the world of automail mechanics, it's just too wonderful to ever forget! Metal limbs that act like the real thing!...It's just all so amazing!"

"Err...yeah, I guess..." You said, a sweat drop behind your head.

"Winry? Where do you want me to put Ed?" Al asked from behind you two. Winry looked up at him and shrugged.

"I dunno, just put him on the couch or something. Oh, and make sure he's not laying on his arm!"

"Are you really going to look at his arm while he's asleep?" You asked as Al walked past you carrying Ed's unconcious body. Winry nodded.

"Might as well, he'll probably want it fixed as soon as possible." She said, frowning. "And I can't _stand_ to see my wonderful work just sit there and not be perfect. Anyway...come on in! You must be starved from the trip. Where were you anyway?"

"A town called Iseila. There's a lot of cliffs there." You said, wincing as you remembered a certain one.

"Iseila huh? It's so weird, ever since those two left on this journey they keep ending up at all the places I've never heard of. Why can't they just go to familar places, like Rush Valley? That place is so amazing! It's the automail capital of the world! It just kills me that those two have access to almost anywhere in the world, and they don't even go anywhere interesting!"

"Well, I think anywhere can be interesting if you make it." You said thoughtfully. "I guess they- AHHHHH!"

* * *

What? What's wrong?" Winry asked. Not answering, you rushed past her and tackled something on the ground.

"He's so _cute_!" You squealed, hugging a large black dog. "This is Den, right? The Elrics told me about him. HE'S SO CUTE!"

Winry laughed and knelt down, petting Den's head. "Yeah, this is our dog. We've had him since I was little. You like dogs?"

"Are you kidding? How can you not like dogs?" You asked, genuinely surprised. Winry smiled and stood up.

"Good question. I'd better get started on Ed's arm, you want to watch?"

"Really? Al said you didn't like it when people watched."

"I'll make an exception. So, you want to?"

"Alright! But...Den's coming to, right?" You asked, looking down at the dog. Winry laughed and nodded.

"Of course. C'mon!" She said, walking into the room where Al was putting Ed down on a couch.

"Alrighty then. Let's see what you did to my poor work this time Ed." Winry said, fishing a wrench out of her tool belt. Grabbing Ed's arm, she pulled it over the arm of the sofa and sat down in a nearby chair. You sat on the floor, giving Den a belly rub as you heard Winry clanking away on Ed's arm.

"Um...Aka?" Winry asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"I don't wanna be rude, but...Really, I'm just curious, I don't mind, but..."

"Am I an Ishbalan?" You asked, taking a guess at what she was stumbling over.

"I don't really care-but-"

"It's alright. And yes, I am. I just wasn't raised in Ishbal." You explained.

"Really? Then, is that why you do alchemy?"

"Yep. I was raised by a State alchemist, so I pretty much grew up around it."

"Your dad's a state alchemist?"

"Yeah. Well...he was..." You said, trailing off.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Winry apologized, understanding.

"It's okay, I don't mind."

"My parents died to." Winry said quietly.

"Guess I know how you feel then." You answered, just as quiet. The two of you were silent for a moment before Al piped up.

"Hey Winry, When's Aunt Pinako getting home?" He asked.

"Any minute now, I think." She answered, not looking up from Ed's arm.

"Huh?" You said, confused. "I thought you guys weren't related."

"We're not, it's just that Winry's grandmother has been like an aunt to Ed and I since we were little." Al explained.

"Am I finally going deaf, or is that you Al?" Came a voice. Looking up, you saw a short woman with large glasses and a pipe in her mouth walk in carrying a paper sack.

"Grandma! Nice to see you're back. Did you get all of the groceries?" Winry asked, abandoning Ed's arm for the first time. Pinako nodded.

"Yes, for once they actually had everything...and I see we have a new visitor." She said, turning to you. You quickly stood up and nodded to her.

"Um, hi. I'm Akari, but-you can call me Aka." You stammered. You weren't quite sure why, but being in Ed's hometown made you nervous for some reason. _And I was so hiked up about going here..._ you thought, _I wonder what happend,_

"Well, it's nice to meet you Aka. I take it you're a friend of the Elrics?"

"Yes, Ed and I have known Aka for a while now." Al said. You blinked in surprised and smiled up at Al.

"I guess it has been a while. About a month in a half, right?"

"I think so...anyway, Pinako? Is it alright if Aka stays here while Ed's getting his arm fixed?" Al asked. Pinako smiled and nodded.

"Of course, any friend of yours is welcome here. But she's going to have to earn her board." She warned, waving a finger at you. You smirked, knowing a challenge when you saw one.

"Don't worry about that." You said in a cocky tone, "I'm no lazy slob. Now Ed on the other hand..." You trailed off, looking at his unconscious figure. Winry and Pinako laughed.

"Yeah, I think Ed's built up an allergy against work." Winry said, giggling.

"He does seem to avoid work." Pinako said with a smirk. (again, the freaky rhyming thing...)

"I need to make dinner. Al, Aka? Would you mind helping me?" Pinako asked. You and Al nodded, following her into the kitchen.

"I'll come help as soon as I finish with Ed's arm!" Winry called after you.

"So, what're we making?" You asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Chicken. Your job is to heat up the stove." Pinako said simply. "There's some firewood outside."

"Is it the same firewood Armstong cut that one time?" Asked Al. Pinako sighed.

"Yes...I swear, the neigbors keep thinking we cut down the whole forest from what he cut...warn us next time you bring him here." She said.

Smiling, you walked outside and grabbed a few logs of wood. Sticking them in the oven, (bear with me, i don't know how they did it back then, so i'm making it up) you stood back from the door and sent a spark of lightning into the oven. The spark caused the logs to ignite with a roaring flame. Quickly shutting the door, you turned around to see Pinako staring at you.

"That's some impressive alchemy child." She said, "I may be wrong, but- did you do that without a circle?"

"Oh, um...yeah I did..." You said, a little embarrassed. Pinako shook her head.

"I should have known...you being a friend of the Elrics and all..." she said. You were about to say something when Winry walked in, looking sad.

"Winry?" Al asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's Ed's arm." She said sadly, "I'm afraid we have to replace it."

* * *

**Ed's POV- **You sensed were tingling. Your whole body felt sore and stiff, and your head felt a little foggy. But you also sensed something else...

...something edible...

Snapping your eyes open, you saw a dark hand holding a plate of steaming chicken near your face. Looking up, you saw Aka standing above you with an amused smirk on her face.

"Figures." She said, "That you'd only wake up when food was around." You smirked back and sat up, taking the plate and wolfing down its contents. Glancing around, you saw that you were sitting on a couch in Winry's living room. Wincing, you clutched your head, remembering Winry's 'greeting.'

"Argh..." You groaned as the pain increased. "Remind me to wear a helmet next time I come here..." Aka laughed and flopped down on the couch besides you, making you bounce a bit.

"It's your own fault to start with, Winry says you're awful about taking care of your arm.

"Hey! I think I've been doing just fine with it considering all I do!"

"Oh? So just what _do_ you do that puts my poor automail in danger?" Came an angry voice.

Stiffining, you turned around to see Winry standing in the doorway, her arms folded.

"N-nothing." You stammered, feeling like an idiot. Winry just glared.

"Don't try to pretend." She said, "Al and Aka already told me about the rockslide." You glanced at Aka, who blushed under your gaze and looked away.

"Traitor..." You muttered. Aka shot you a quick glare before grabbing your empty plate and getting up.

"I'm gonna help Pinako and Al clean up." She announced, "Give him hell for me Winry." Winry smiled and gave Aka a mock salute.

"You got it! I'll make this as painful as possible!" She said over-cheerfully. You groaned and collapsed down on the couch.

"Great...now there's two of them..." You groaned. Footsteps approached you and you heard the clinking of metal.

"I wouldn't be talking that way if I were you Ed." She said, "She is your girlfriend after all." You blushed and shot her a glare.

"No she's not!" You cried, bright-red. Winry smiled and waved a wrench in your face.

"Oh no you don't, Al's given me all the juicy details between you two." She said smugly, "There's no point in hiding it." You grumbled and looked away, leaving Winry to sigh at your chillness.

"Alright, now lie still. We have to get this arm off of you." She said. You blinked in surprise and looked back at her.

"What? I thought you were just gonna fix it!" You cried. Winry shook her head.

"Can't, I had a look at it while you were unconscious. Most of the internal gears have been smashed to pieces-replacing then without taking the whole thing apart would take months. It'll be a lot faster to make a new one. Besides, I've come up with a lot of new methods since the last time I fixed your automail."

"Oh, just great." You said, rolling your eyes. "Well, hurry up and get it over with then."

* * *

**Still Ed's POV- **A few hours later, you were sitting under the bright stars, feeling funny without the extra weight on your right shoulder. Sighing, you leaned back onto the grass, closing your eyes.

_Home sure hasn't changed much, _You thought. It was true: the sounds you heard were the same sounds you remembered as a kid. _It feels so different to be back,_ You thought, _Almost like I shouldn't be here or something... _

"You gonna sleep out here? Or are me 'n Al gonna have to drag you inside?" Came a voice. You smiled a little, recognizing it as Aka's familiar sarcasm.

"I dunno, I just might choose the latter to piss you off." You said jokingly. You heard a growl of annoyance and opened your eyes to see that Aka was now sitting besides you, studying you with her scarlet eyes.

"You'd better watch it." She said threateningly, "I know where you used to live." You blinked in surprise.

"You do?"

"Yeah, Al said it's over the hill."

"Hate to break it to ya, but that could be anywhere. This town's full of hills..."

"Then will you show me?"

"Show you what?"

"Your house! I know it's burned to a crisp, but I still wanna see it." She said. You stared at her for a while before sighing and looking up at the stars.

"Fine, Al 'n I will take you tomorrow."

"Alright!" Aka said happily. Falling back, she spread her arms and legs wide, like she was absorbing the moonlight.

"You've been acting kind of weird lately." You told her. She just shot you a questioning look.

"I mean, you've been...I dunno...happy." You said. Aka gave you an amused look.

"Well gee, sorry I'm not dreary enough for you. I'll make sure to wear my sad face tomorrow."

"Not like that! I meant...happ_ier_." You said. Aka blinked for a bit before closing her eyes.

"Maybe you're right...maybe I shouldn't be this happy...after all that bad stuff that happened..." She said sadly. You winced, quickly sitting up.

"N- no! That's not what I meant either! I- aw dammit- I didn't mean to make you sad!" You said hurridly, feeling like a heel. Aka didn't speak, just looked up at the stars with a thoughtful look.

"Does it go away?" She asked softly. "This empty feeling?" You stared at her, unable to understand. Then it hit you.

"You've never gotten to talk about your dad..." You said softly, smiling faintly at her. She closed her eyes and smiled a little too.

"No...I guess not. I just thought- with everything that was going on-"

"What was he like?" You interrupted, laying down besides her. You could tell she really wanted to talk about him.

"Well...he was nice, that's for sure. He was kinda quiet too. He didn't talk much, but just being around him made you feel good. Like...I dunno...just safe I guess. Like nothing bad would happen. And whenever you wanted to talk to him? He'd listen. He'd always listen, no matter how stupid you sounded. He didn't get mad very easily, that's for sure. And even if he did, he'd just go to be alone for a little while before coming back, just smiling. He was just always so happy. Happy to be outside and just be...alive. He was.. kinda an airhead actually." Aka broke off, giggling. You smiled.

"He sounds kinda like my Mom. I wish I could have met him." You told her warmly.

"Yeah, me to. I think he'd like you a lot. Even if you are short." Aka said, giggling again. You glared, but then smiled, deciding to let it slide.

Reaching down, you grabbed her hand and gave it a little squeeze. Aka scooted closer to you, laying her head on your shoulder. The two of you just stayed there, looking up at the stars. Then-

"Oh yeah, she's _sooo_ not your girlfriend Ed."

Wincing, you tilted your head back to see Winry standing over you two.

"Has anyone ever told you just how annoying you are?" You growled, annoyed. Winry just grinned.

"I'll see you guys inside." She said, prancing off. You sighed and looked down at Aka.

"We'd better get some rest. I'm taking you on a tour tomorrow." You told her. Aka grinned and nodded.

"Kay then Mr. Tour Guide. I'd better get my money's worth!" She said happily, getting up. You watched as she went back to the house, doing a bit of a cartwheel in the process.

_I don't think Hojo was the only one who was an airhead,_ You thought, shaking your head.

* * *

and that's that. the end of the seires. just kidding, i'm too addicted to stop now. seriously though, we're talking **SERIOUS **updates to make up for lost time. hope it works.

probably won't.

-zago 


	22. Picnic Chatter

see? i'm actually keeping my promise for once! go me! i should get a reward!

seriously, fork over the cash

that way, i can bribe the judge if somebody sues me for claiming to own FMA. WHICH I DON'T! or Aka. **WHICH I DO!**

**_

* * *

_**

_**Recap- **Winry took off Ed's metal arm, leaving him with just his left. He and Aka had a little scene under the stars, and Ed told Aka he'd take her on a tour of Resmimbool. _

**Start- **Aka's POV: You groaned and sat up, not quite wanting to wake up yet. Then you remembered- Ed was taking you on a tour today! Grinning like a maniac, you jumped out of bed and tackled your bag, pulling out a pair of long shorts and a red tank top. Fiddling with your hair, you rushed out of your room and almost tripped down the stairs.

"Why are you in such a hurry Aka?" Came an echoed voice. Looking around, you saw Al sitting at the table with Winry and Pinako.

"Ed promised to take me on a tour today," You told him, "Guess I'm a little excited."

"A tour?" Pinako echoed, "I didn't realized Resimbool was interesting enough for a tour." You shrugged, sitting down across from her.

"Maybe not, but I still wanna go," You answered, "Besides, we've been traveling so much that I havn't gotten the chance to just kick back and check out where I am. It'll be a nice break."

"We do seem to be on the move a lot," Al admitted, "But we were in Iseila for a long time." You frowned, trying to remember just how long you'd stayed there.

"Well, I wouldn't call...four days- a very long time." You said, counting the days on your fingers. "And we were working most of the time."

"I suppose you're right," Al said. You suddenly grinned, getting an idea.

"Hey! I know! How about you come with us Al? You too Winry!" You said enthusiastically. Al jerked his head back and Winry started blinking.

"I dunno," Al said playfully, "Are you sure you don't want to spend time with Ed?" You rolled your eyes.

"Gimme a break Al- I've been spending time with him this whole trip! It'll be nice to have more than one babysitter!" Winry sighed and shook her head.

"I can't go, I have to fix-"

"That attitude of yours." Pinako interrupted, taking her pipe out of her mouth. Winry looked at her in surprise.

"What do you-"

"It's been ages since you spent time with the boys. This will be a good chance for you to catch up. Besides, I can fix Ed's arm myself." Pinako said firmly.

"But I kinda wanted to try all of those new techniques..." Winry pouted. Pinako waved a hand at her.

"I won't start the details just yet. I'll just make the outline. I assume you can work off of that?"

"Of course!" Winry said. Then, turning to you, she smiled, "Okay then Aka, I guess I'm going with you."

"All right!" You cheered, punching the air, "Less Ed to take care of!"

"Oh c'mon Aka, Brother's not _that_ bad..." Al said. You looked at him in horror.

"Are you insane? It's hard work making sure he doesn't fall into sidewalk cracks!" Pinako and Winry burst out laughing, but quickly stopped when a voice rang out.

**"_WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT SIDEWALKS?_" **Came an annoyed voice. You smirked, but didn't bother turning around.

"Nothing Ed, just wanted to see if you were awake."

"Well then, how thoughtful of you." Ed said sarcastically, taking a seat next to you. "Now what were you guys saying before that?"

"We're coming with you on Aka's tour!" Winry said with a smile. Ed looked slightly surprised, but then shrugged.

"More the merrier I guess." He said nonchalantly. Reaching across the table, he grabbed a piece of fruit that was adorned decoratively on the middle of the table and shoved it in his mouth. "When are we leaving?"

"As soon as possible!" You said before anyone else could open their mouth.

"We'd better eat breakfast first." Winry said, quickly killing all hope of an early start. You groaned, letting your head fall to the table.

"Great, by the time Ed finishes breakfast it'll be time for lunch." You said, pouting. Winry giggled and Ed shot you a glare.

"Quit exaggerating..." He muttered. You just smiled brightly.

"Oh, I have the perfect idea!" Winry said, clapping her hands, "Let's have a picnic!"

"That sounds great!" You said, matching her enthusiasm perfectly. "I'll help you pack it!"

"You two do that, I'm getting breakfast..." Ed grumbled, getting up. In a few moments, he was already across the room and raiding Winry's food pantry.

"He sure can move fast for someone with such short legs." You said, ducking as a large sack of potatoes was thrown at you. Smirking, you quickly helped Winry throw some things into a basket and grabbed Ed, dragging him out of the house before he could complain.

* * *

The three of you walked down the hill from Winry's house, Al carrying the picnic basket. You were walking out in front of everybody, so twirled around and started walking backwards, facing them.

"So when did you guys all meet?" You asked, trying to keep your balanced on the sloped ground. Winry and the Elrics all looked at each other, shrugging.

"We just kinda grew up as friends," Winry said, "I don't really remember a time I didn't know these two."

"Neither do I." Ed admitted, Al nodding in agreement. "But our Mom and Winry's parents were pretty good friends, so I guess they kinda set us up."

"That and the fact we all went to the same school." Al added, looking in the direction you assumed their old school was.

"Oh yeah...but I remember playing with you guys before we started school." Winry said thoughtfully.

"I guess it just means we've known each other for a long time...hey, can we break for lunch now?"

"Ed! It's only been five minutes!" You cried, tossing a small ball of lightning at his head. He winced as it came on perfect contact, cluthing his head in pain.

"What? I'm hungry!" He pouted, rubbing his head with his good arm."

"Honestly Ed, you ate half of our food just this mourning- how can someone so short have such a huge stomach?" Winry said. Ed glared at her threatenly.

"Why you- GET BACK HERE!" He yelled as Winry started running, pushing past you. You laughed and started running to, not wanting to fall behind.

"Slow down you guys!" Al yelled, struggling to keep up with the large basket. But of course, none of you listened- Winry was too busy running for her life, Ed was too ticked to let her get away, and you...well, you just thought it was all too hilarious. The four of you kept running until you came up to a hill. Panting, you struggled to run up it, only to find that Ed and Winry had stopped at the very top, looking at something.

Looking back at you, Ed motioned for you to come closer. Puzzled, you obeyed, stopping at his side and staring at a large black spot in front of you.

"Welcome home." Ed said softly.

* * *

You stood there, next to Ed, just staring at the house. Nature had already started the course of rebuilding itself- there were various overgrown weeds sticking out of the darkened earth. A slow wind picked up, forcing the grass to gently sway in the wind...

"What was it like?" You asked softly. You sensed Ed glance at you, but didn't take your eyes off of the dark earth.

"You mean, what did our house look like?" Ed inquired. You nodded. "Well..." He started, "It was pretty tall, two floors and a basement."

"It kinda looked like my house." Winry interrupted, "With the yellow sides, but their roof was red and the house was skinnier."

"It was actually pretty small compared to the other houses in the area." Said Al, who had finally caught up. "But it worked for us, since our family was small."

"WHO YA CALLIN SMALL!" Ed suddenly yelled. You winced, forgetting that you were standing right next to him.

"Cool it Ed..." You muttered as you dug into your ear with your hand, trying to regain your hearing.

"Don't waste your breath Aka." Winry said, "He hasn't changed in 15 years and I doubt he will now."

"Oh-ho! So you were an annoying pipsqueak as a kid to?" You said, grinning at Ed. He twitched under your gazed, his good hand balled into a fist.

"It wasn't as bad when we were kids." Winry said with a laugh, "Since he didn't stop growing until we were about 7."

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?" Cried Ed, grabbing his head, "YOU'RE ALL A BUNCH OF **BULLIES**!"

"Aww...poor Brother, getting picked on by a bunch of girls." Al said in a teasing voice.

"WHAT? NOT YOU TOO!" Yelled Ed. By this time, you Winry and Al were laughing your asses off.

Ed finally snapped. "THAT'S IT! I, EDWARD ELRIC WILL HUNT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU DOWN WITH MY BODY AND SOUL!" He yelled, proceeding to chase the three of you in circles. You were so busy laughing that you were having trouble running. Panting between laughs, you began to slow down, giving Ed enough of a lead to tackle you, forcing both of you to fall. Ed sat on your back, holding your wrists behind your back with his good hand.

"Say it." He said evilly.

"No!"

"_Say it!_" He repeated, twisting your arm a bit.

"NO!"

"SAY IT!"

"F-fine!" You finally gasped. "Y-your..._not_ a midget." Ed sighed, getting off of you.

"Good enough." He grumbled, helping you up. Looking over his shoulder, he called, "Oi, Al! Bring that basket over, I'm starvin here!"

* * *

"So what's your story Aka?" Winry asked as she munched on a sandwich. She and Al had packed thousands of them, which was good, because Ed was already on his fifth.

"Me? Well...I grew up in a place called Trezanga." You said, grabbing a peach. (yeah, i know- i'm obsessed with peaches. go write your own fruit story)

"Trezanga? I don't think I've heard of it." Winry said.

"Fit's a preally tracrappy mace." (translation- It's a really crappy place) Ed said between chews.

"Ed!" Winry cried with a horrified look on her face. You grinned and waved a hand at her.

"It's okay Winry, Ed's right- my hometown smells." You said reassuringly.

"Oh. So...why'd you leave? To look for the Philosopher's Stone?"

"Well, not at first...I actually left cause my Dad died." You said, not really wanting to go into detail about you being blamed for the murder.

"I'm sorry, that must have been really hard." Winry said, patting your shoulder. You grinned at her and shrugged.

"Yeah, but I was okay. After all, I had these two to look after me!...Well, at least Al anyway." You quickly dodged as a large apple was thrown at your face from the direction of Ed.

"Sorry Ed, I couldn't have made it without you either." You said, smiling. Ed continued eating, but you saw a hint of a smile on his face.

"Did you go to school?" Winry asked. You shook your head.

"Nah, but my Dad taught me to read and write...and some basic alchemy." You added with a wink. Winry laughed.

"I was wondering if it was these two who taught you. Did I hear you tell my Grandma last night that you can do alchemy without a circle like Ed?" You nodded.

"Yeah, but it's not the same thing. See, my alchemy is kinda...part of my body. And Ed...well, I don't really know his excuse." You finished, looking at him questioningly. But he just ignored you. You sighed and picked up a sandwich, taking a large bite out of it.

"What about you guys?" You asked, "Did you go to school?"

"When we were younger." Al answered, "Most people around here only go to school until they're twelve or so, and a couple only learn to read and write."

"Yeah, I remember when we were in school that there was this one guy who was around 10 and still couldn't read. He was kinda mean." Winry said thoughtfully. Then, she started giggling.

"What's so funny?" You asked.

"Oh nothing, it's just that he was kinda a jerk, and one time Ed and Al used alchemy to tie him to a chair. The teacher was really mad, but the guy was totally blown away." You giggled to, wishing you'd seen it. Ed chuckled as well.

"Heh, I forgot all about that." He said, finally giving the poor victimized food a break. "What was his name again?...Talyor?"

"Tal-yor?" You repeated, "Don't you mean _Tay_lor?"

"No, he spelled it Tal-yor. But, that could of been because he couldn't write well." Al said. Then, turning to Winry, he asked, "Whatever happened to him anyway? Did he ever graduate?" Winry nodded.

"Yeah, Talyor graduated while you two were away with Izumi. I don't know what happened after that."

"Hmph. So that big oaf finally graduated..." Ed said, munching on a sandwich again. He was about to grab another when you poked his hand, sending a spark of lighting at it.

"OW!" He yelled, blowing on his hand. "What was that for?"

"Ed, you've had like a gazillion sandwiches- leave some for the rest of us!" You yelled. Ed grumbled, but let his arm drop.

"Wow Aka, I've _never_ seen Ed let someone refuse him food before. He must _really_ like you!" Winry said teasingly. You and Ed looked away, blushing as Winry and Al giggled.

"Hey Winry, it's almost noon, do you think we should take Aka on the tour now? Al asked. You perked up, grinning.

"Yeah! Let's go!" You said, grabbing the leftover food and stuffing it back in the basket. "We can finish lunch later." You said hurridly, running off. "C'mon!"

"Umm...Aka? We're going this way." Al said, pointing in the opposite direction you were running. Ed and Winry got a sweat-drop as you whirled around and started running in the direction Al was pointing, trying to drag him with you.

"Is she always like this?" Winry asked Ed. He shrugged.

"Just recently."

* * *

and that's it for this update! i know, it was kinda short, but don't worry- next one is LONGER and ACTIONY!

what? it's a word!

-zago


	23. Aka vs Cows!

see? two updates in one day! this is the fourth update in two days! toldja i'd make up for lost time! and speaking of lost time...I LOST MY WATCH!

pity me by not sueing me! cause i don't own FMA. but i do own Aka! please don't make me go to court to say that again.

oh, and just kidding about the watch. i don't even wear a watch. DON'T SUE ME ANYWAY!

* * *

_**Recap-** ...(nevermind, I got nuthin)_

**Start- **"Hey, is that you Ed? You haven't grown a bit!"

"Man, been a while since I saw you shorty!"

"Huh? Ed's here? Oh, sorry. I just can't see down that far."

These were a few examples that you would use to explain why Ed looked so ticked off right now. He, Al and Winry had started taking you around town, showing you random places like _'The Pond Where We Fished A Lot'_ and _'The Tree Ed Fell Out Of When He Was 6.'_ You ran into a few people along the way to, and all of them seemed to have a height joke they'd just been waiting to crack.

"Remind me again why we're here?" Ed mumbled, looking extremely pissed. Winry rolled her eyes.

"Because," She said, "You needed to fix your arm and your girlfriend asked for a tour. Would it kill you to smile and make it nice for her?" You shot Ed a sheepish look, who blushed and looked away. Suddenly, the four of you heard a loud yell.

"WINRY! **WINRY!**"

Turning, you all saw a young man with tan overalls and a blue shirt running up to you. He stopped in front of Winry, doubled-over and panting, as if he had run a large distance.

"Kyle?" Winry asked, "Is that you? What's wrong?" Kyle kept panting for a couple of seconds before straightening up.

"It-it's the fence." He said breathlessly, "Something's wrong with our cattle, and they keep trying to break the fence. It won't last much longer! I know you usually don't do things like this, but we need you to install a new one right away! We'll pay you whatever you need, but if the cattle get out of our field..."

"The city would be overrun within a few hours." Al finished for him. You glanced at Ed, frowning.

_Is it me? _You wondered, _Or does Ed look a little pale? _Winry was vigorously nodding her head.

"Of course I'll help. But I'll warn you- it won't be cheap." Kyle nodded as well.

"That's fine. Just please, hurry! The fence was beginning to break when I left!"

"Can we help?" You piped up. This sounded exciting- you didn't want to miss any action! Kyle blinked a bit.

"Uh...sure, if you want. We could use all the help we can get!" You smiled at him.

"Okay then, let's get going!" You said excitedly, grinning like a maniac. Kyle nodded and started running again, this time in a different direction, with the four of you following. Ed sped up so that he was running besides you.

"Why the heck did ya go and do that for?" He demanded, "I'm not gonna go help a bunch of walking steaks!"

"Gimme a break Ed!" You hissed, "They need help. Besides, what's so bad about cows?"

"Nothing." Ed said, a little too quickly. You looked at him suspiciously, but he ignored you. You were about to say something about it when a farm started to come into view.

"Is that your farm Kyle?" Asked Al, who was running in front of you with Winry and Kyle.

"Yes," Kyle answered, "I hope we're not too late!" The five of you quickly ran to a long fence, where a large group of people was gathered. Pushing your way forward, you saw that there were about 50 or so cows pacing near the fence. Suddenly, with a loud roar, one particularly large bull separated himself from the group and hurled his giant body towards the fence.

"HOLD!" Someone yelled. Seven men pushed against the fence, trying to keep it from opening. Luckily, they succeeded. The bull charged again, and again it failed. But the men were looking pretty tired...

The bull tried to charge again, but before it could even touch the fence, you jumped up on one of the railings and and pointed your hand in the direction of the bull, hitting it with a small bolt of red lightning. The animal gave a cry of pain and shrank back, though it seemed that it would be fine. You heard murmurs behind you and turned around to see everyone staring at you. You blushed a little, it hadn't been your intention to cause a scene.

"Hey Winry!" You called, pointing to the gate, "You can fix the lock now! I'll keep back any that try to charge!" The crowd stepped back, allowing Winry, Ed and Al to step through. Kyle remained behind.

"Alright guys!" Kyle yelled, "That's enough of that! Now we have a lot of work to do, so let's get to it!"

"Yeah!" The men shouted simultaneously, dispersing quickly. But you noticed with a shot of pain that many of them sent you frightened glances before leaving. Wait- why would that make your arm hurt? You felt like you'd been stung by a bee or something...

"AKA!" You suddenly heard Ed yell. Whirling around, you saw that another bull was charging at the gate. Throwing another quick bolt out of your hand, it fell back, roaring in pain. Shaking your head, you decided that you'd have to worry about the farmers later...

* * *

_S-stay awake _You told yourself, _She's almost done... _You had been standing on top of the fence for quite some time now, throwing lightning at practically anything that moved now. Winry was having trouble with the fence- apparently her tools didn't work on the type of lock it was. 

You were beginning to get tired- how many bolts had you thrown? Too many to count, you shouldn't have put so much energy into each one...you jumped a bit as you realized that your vision was getting blurry. You squinted your eyes, and panicked as you saw another bull charging. Your arm shot in the bull's direction, as if to throw your hand at the bull instead of your lightning. You didn't even think, you just made a bolt shoot towards him.

The blurriness increased times ten and you cursed yourself- you'd used too much energy in that one bolt. You heard someone yell, but couldn't understand what they were saying. You felt your body sway, and you fell into darkness...

* * *

**Ed's POV-**  
"All done!" Winry said triumphantly. You smiled and looked in Aka's direction. 

"Hey Aka! You can get down- AKA!" You watched in horror as her body began to sway, and you rushed forward. Her body toppled from the fence, falling against your chest, your good arm hugging her waist.

"Aka!" You cried again. She didn't answer, but you could tell she was breathing. You sighed in relief.

"What happened?" Asked Winry, looking worried. You looked out at the bulls, who were still pacing the fence.

"She must have used a lot of energy to make so much lightning." Al said, "Brother, has she ever used that much alchemy before?" You shook your head.

"Not that much at once. She'll be fine, but she may not wake up for a few hours."

"Maybe we should stay here than." Winry said, "I'm sure they'd be happy to let Aka rest here, seeing as she practically saved the cattle." You snorted, glaring at the stupid mounds of beef on the other side of the fence.

_This is your fault, _You thought angrily, as if they could read your mind.

"Hey Al, can you get her? I'm kinda lacking here..." You said, glaring again at the cows, like your missing arm was their fault too. Al bent down and picked up Aka bridal-style from you, walking towards the house with you right besides him. Reaching the house, Winry lifted her hand and knocked on the door. Presently, it was opened by a middle-aged looking woman with an apron.

"Why hello there!" She said, "You're the girl who fixed our fence! And- what's this? Oh dear, what happened to her?" She asked, staring at Aka.

"She needs rest." You said, looking at her as well. Aka twitched lightly, cringing. Was she in pain?

"Of course," The woman said, "Come right inside. She can rest in one of the bedrooms." Following Al, you walked into the house, noticing how roomy it was inside. The woman led you into a room with a small bed, motioning for Al to lay her there. You strode forward, pulling the sheets back as Al gently lay her on the bed. You grabbed the covers, pulling them over her. Glancing around the room, you spotted a chair in the corner and proceeded to drag it over to the bed, plopping yourself down in it.

"Well okay then..." Winry said softly. You knew she was teasing, but you didn't really care. You just kept your eyes fixed on Aka's sleeping face.

"Excuse me m'am," You heard Al say, "But is there anything we could help with? We might as well help out, since we're here..."

"Well," Said the woman, "If you insist..." You heard the three of them move out of the room, talking in hushed voices. You sighed, lifting up a hand to brush away some hair that was in Aka's face. She smiled in her sleep, reacting to the touch. It made you smile too.

* * *

eeeh...writing fluffy stuff feels kinda weird...i gotta get a love life... 

whoops! zoned out again...

...what, you wanna go back now? fine...

* * *

**Aka's POV-**  
Your eyes fluttered open, revealing the deep red pools of color underneath. The red color darted around the room as you tried to remember what was going on. Suddenly, you felt something move near you. Glancing down, you couldn't help but smile. 

It appeared that Ed had been sitting in a chair, but his upper torso had fallen forward so that his body was halfway across the bed and his head was in your lap.

Lifting your fingers out from under the covers, you gently took a strand of his golden bangs into your hand, playing with it. Then, getting an evil idea, you smirked, reaching across Ed's back and pulling the rest of his hair out of the braid. Trying not to wake him up, you quickly re-shaped his hair.

_Ed's gonna kill me when he wakes up... _

As if on cue, his head shifted, causing your hands to fly back. His blinked, obviously waking from a deep sleep. His eyes met yours, a smile creeping across his face as he sat up.

"You're awake..." He said softly, his eyes slowly coming into focus. You smiled back softly.

"What happened after I passed out?" You asked, tilting your head a little. Ed yawned, jerking his head towards the door of the room.

"The lady here let us stay here till you got up, and I think Al and Winry are helping her out." He said, looking a little bored. Then looking back to you, his face became serious. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"I'm fine. Umm...are you?" You asked, darting a look at his head. Ed frowned.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Ed asked, looking utterly confused. You giggled and pointed at a mirror on the dresser. Ed turned to the mirror, a look of horror appearing on his face.

"**AKA**! WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO?" He yelled, but you were already on the run.

* * *

**Al's POV-**  
You and Winry had been helping out the woman- whose name was Phaidra (faye-druh. yes, another name from tales of symphonia)- around the house. At first, she had protested, saying that you'd done enough with the fence, but you and Winry had beat her around it. 

"Hey, Winry- would you mind passing me that broom?" You asked. At the moment, the two of you were helping clean up a mess that had something to do with a four-year-old and flour. You didn't want to know the details.

"Sure thing." Winry said, handing it to you. You noticed that she kept glancing at the clock.

"Should we be leaving soon?" You asked quietly, not wanting Phaidra to hear. Winry shrugged.

"Probably, but I don't really wanna leave until Aka wakes up." She said, glancing in the direction of the room Aka had been left in. You nodded.

"That's true," You said, "and I doubt Brother will leave until he knows she's alright." Winry stopped what she was doing to grin at you.

"He really likes her, doesn't he?" She asked. You thought for a moment before answering.

"Yeah, but they've been through a lot together. Aka-"

"AKA! WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO?" Came a yell, interrupting your sentence. Winry looked confused, but then again, she hadn't been dealing with these two for a month. Sighing, you turned around and waited until you saw Aka dash into the room, a wild grin on her face. As she ducked behind your armor frame, you sighed and began the countdown.

_Three...Two...One,_ Right on her cue, a furious looking Ed entered, who had...

"What's with the pigtails Ed?" Asked Winry, who looked like she was having an awfully hard time trying not to laugh. Ed narrowed his eyes and pointed an accusing finger in the direction of Aka's current position.

"Ask her!" He snapped. Aka opened her mouth, but quickly closed it as a fit of laughter came out. "IT'S NOT FUNNY!" Ed yelled.

"Aww...but it's such a good look for you Ed!" Winry said playfully. Ed looked he was ready to kill someone.

"S-sorry Ed." Aka said, desprately trying to apologize through laughs. "But- when you're _that_ fast asleep- it's just so tempting!"

Ed grumbled something, pulling his hair out of the pigtails. Before the argument could continue, Phaidra walked into the room.

"Oh! I see you're awake. You're friends were very worried about you while you were unconcious. How do you feel?" Aka grinned and put her hands behind her head.

"I'm fine, thanks for letting me crash in your house, I feel a lot better now." Phaidra smiled back, waving a hand at her.

"Don't be silly, we owe you a lot for saving our cows." She said. Out of the corner of your eye, you thought you saw Ed shiver.

_Oh- I bet Aka doesn't know... _You thought, _I wonder if Ed'll kill me for telling her...

* * *

_

**Aka's POV-  
**You, Ed, Winry and Al had decided that you'd stayed long enough and said goodbye to Phaidra.

"Thanks again for the bed!" You yelled back to her as you walked off, "It was really soft!"

"Don't mention it!" Phaidra called back, "Take care of yourselves!"

"Bye!" The four of you yelled in unison. As you walked towards the road leading back to Winry's, you went by the cow fence. Looking out at them, you noticed that they looked a lot calmer now.

_I wonder what it was that got them so worked up. _You thought. Just then, you noticed that Ed had gone from walking in front of Al to walking next to you, on the side that faced _away_ from the cow fence.

"What's with you?" You asked, "You've been acting weird all day."

Ed grumbled something and glared out at the cows.

"Don't mind him Aka." Al said, "He just hates milk and is afraid of cows."

"I AM NOT!" Ed yelled, "YOU ARE A TRAITOROUS, LYING SIBLING! Why would I be afraid of a bunch of overgrown beef! Hey, stop laughing!" You couldn't help it, you were laughing so hard that you could barely stand.

"B-but it just makes so much sense! Now I know why you're such a midget- you don't drink your milk!"

"Shut up! Just because I don't drink liquid dairy doesn't mean that's why I don't grow!" You stared at him in amazement.

"Ed..." You said. Then, grinning like a maniac, you poked his nose. "You just admitted your short! I'm so proud of you!" Ed blushed a furious red.

"N-no I...Argh- **GET BACK HERE**!" He yelled as the endless chase scene once again picked up. Al and Winry watched as Ed chased you in a zig-zag pattern.

"Think we should stop them?" Asked Winry. Al shrugged.

"I know Brother would never kill her...but on the other hand, it'd be the same as letting those cows out of the field." He said, beginning to run. Winry shook her head and went after him, wondering how her two best friends could have met such an..._interesting_ girl.

* * *

_gasp!_ Ed admitted he was short! jeez, i am one cruel writer. but aren't we all?

don't answer that  
-zago


	24. Promises Kept

wazzup everbody? sorry i didn't update yesterday, fanfic was ignoring me. anyway, i'm uploading again, so watch out!

oh, and just in case-

Ed and FMAbelong to Hiromu Arakawa. all hail.

Aka belongs to me. all hail.

President Bush is president. all boo.

**_

* * *

_**

_**Recap- **Aka fought some cows...(i'm sorry, funny images...snicker- ANYWAY) and ended up passing out. ouch. anyway, the four of you were on your way home when Aka cracked a height joke. Yeah, real smart Aka..._

**Start-  
**You kept running as fast as you could, wondering why you could never keep your mouth shut. Then again, Ed was so cute when he was mad...

Looking back, you tried to catch a glimpse of Ed's face when you crashed into something hard. Stumbling backwards, you fell painfully on your but.

"Ow..." You groaned, wincing as you came in contact with the ground, "Why the hell can't dirt be soft?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! Here, let me help you." Came a voice from above. Your heart stopped when it started talking. You'd heard that voice before...

_No way... _You thought, your mind processing this very slowly.

Looking up slowly, your eyes widened as a tall man with dark hair, but light skin. But the thing that attracted you the most were his eyes. You'd seen those eyes when-

"Aka! Hey, you okay?" Ed yelled running up. Al and Winry were right behind.

"Aka, you and Ed really need to stop- oh, hello Talyor! It's been a while!" Winry said, smiling at the man in front of you. You looked at him again, your eyes wide in shock. But he wasn't looking at you anymore, the hand he had offered had even dropped. He was too busy smiling widely at Ed. Maybe too widely...

"Hey Ed, Al," Talyor said, "It's been what, 5 years?"

"At least." Ed answered. Looking down at you, he frowned. "You okay Aka?" Your head snapped in his direction, your eyes still wide. Ed looked surprised. "Aka?"

Shaking your head, you quickly stood up and dusted yourself off, trying to avoid Ed's gaze.

_Maybe...maybe I'm wrong _You thought, glancing at Talyor, _There's no way he could be...but what if he is? _You pushed your thoughts away, trying to focus on what everybody was saying. But it turned out to be something you didn't want to hear.

"So Talyor, you wanna eat dinner with us?" Winry was asking, "I'm sure my Grandma would let you stay."

"That sounds great." Talyor said, smiling that weird smile again, "Mind if I come with you?"

"Sure!" Winry and Al said in unison, but Ed didn't say anything, glancing at you. But you quickly turned your head away, refusing to meet his gaze. The other three started to move, but Ed stayed behind with you.

"Aka, what's going on?" He asked, concern in his voice, "You look weird." You just shook your head, not trusting yourself to speak. Ed narrowed his eyes, starting to lose patience.

"Aka, tell me what's-"

"ED! AKA! C'mon you two, or we'll start dinner without you!" Winry called. Looking ahead, you saw that the three of them had managed to create quite a distance away from you. You moved to follow them, but was stopped as Ed grabbed your wrist.

"Aka please, just tell me what's going on!" He pleaded. You looked away yet again.

"It's nothing..." You said softly.

"Aka-"

"It's nothing!" You said a little louder, tearing your wrist out of his grip and running after the others. Ed stared after you for a while, a worried look on his face. Shaking his head, he picked up the pace, not wanting to fall behind.

* * *

**Ed's POV-**  
All of you had returned to the house, where a worried Pinako was waiting. You and Winry explained to her about the cattle fence and how Winry had to fix it. When you got to the part about Aka helping out, you looked around for her so that she could tell it herself, but she was nowhere in sight. Talyor on the other hand, seemed to be looming over your shoulder. It was kinda creepy, but you were too worried about Aka to really care.

_What happened to her? One minute she was making fun of me as usual, and the next minute, she's all crazy! What the hell is her deal?_ You were brought back to earth as Winry started telling Pinako about how Aka used her alchemy on the cows. (hold on...funny images!...kay, back to the story)

"It was amazing!" Winry was saying, "All Aka did was point her hand in the direction of the cow, and red lightning shot at them!" At this point, Talyor jerked his head in her direction, his eyes flashing.

"She hit the cows with _red_ lightning?" He asked, sounding excited. Winry blinked a second before answering.

"Um...yeah...but don't worry, she didn't hurt any of them." She said. As she went on to talk about how you all had met Phaidra, Talyor seemed to lose interest. You frowned at his actions.

_Why's he so interested in Aka's alchemy? _You thought. Then, something else clicked in the back of your brain. _Aka started acting weird right after she ran into Talyor...does she know him?_

Your thoughts were once again interrupted as talk of dinner began. You glanced around the room for Aka, but she still hadn't shown up. Sighing, you decided to leave her alone for a little while.

"Ed, you'll be helping me make dinner." Pinako said, "Since you were sleeping yesterday. The rest of you can do whatever you want until it's ready."

"It wasn't my fault I was sleeping!" You protested, "Winry-" But you quickly cut yourself off as Winry twirled a wench she'd suddenly gotten from out of nowhere. Gulping, you ran to the kitchen and started helping Pinako with dinner.

"What happened to Aka?" Pinako asked as she chopped vegetables, "She looked rather ill when she walked in, is she alright?"

"I dunno..." You said softly, shaking your head. Pinako shrugged.

"She's probably tired from all the alchemy she had to use. Surely you can relate?"

"Yeah..." You said. Then, trying to change the subject, "How's my arm coming?"

"I finished the outline a couple of hours ago." Pinako said, "Winry should be able to finish the rest by the end of tomorrow." You nodded, though not really interested.

Aka...

* * *

About half an hour later, you and Pinako finished up dinner, setting it all on the table.

"Oi, everybody!" You yelled, "CHOW TIME!" Al, Winry and Talyor walked in, but you saw no sign of Aka. Frowning, you turned to your 'little' brother.

"Hey Al, you seen Aka?" You asked. Al shook his head.

"No, but I noticed that she was acting strangely." Al said, "Do you think she's alright?" You thought for a moment.

"I'm gonna go look-" But you cut yourself off as Aka walked in, looking at the ground. Wordlessly, she walked over to the table and sat down, staring at her plate. You quickly sat next to her on her right, and Talyor sat on the left. You noticed that Aka's body stiffened when Talyor sat down, and reached across her lap to squeeze her hand. She jerked her head in your direction, and you could see..._fear?_...In her eyes. You were about to say something when Winry struck up a conversation.

"Hey Ed," She said, "Talyor was telling us that he did some alchemy now. Maybe you guys could teach each other a few things." Talyor laughed.

"Yeah right Winry. Me? Teach the _Full Metal Alchemist?_ He probably knows more about alchemy then I ever will."

"I guess you heard." You said simply, noting his use of your title. Talyor grinned at you from the other side of Aka.

"Yeah, I gotta admit, it's pretty cool. You always did learn a lot at a young age." You forced a laugh.

"Yeah...lucky me." You said, lacing your fingers together with Aka's. Her hands seemed to be trembling.

"You know, Aka's a state alchemist too Talyor." Al piped up. Aka's hand tore away yours.

"Oh really?" Talyor said, grinning down at Aka, "I've heard of your alchemy. Lightning, isn't it?"

"Yeah..." Aka murmured, her eyes not leaving her plate, though she hadn't touched her food.

"I can see why the military would make you a state alchemist." Talyor went on, "Lightning is a pretty powerful weapon, it actually hurt a friend of mine once." Aka's entire body went ridged, and you saw her eyes widen from under her bangs.

"So Aka...Winry said your alchemy is a certain color...what was it...oh yes, wasn't it re-" Aka stood up, pushing herself away from the table.

"I'm sorry." She said, "But I'm not very hungry." Before you could do anything, she dashed out of the room.

* * *

**Aka's POV-**  
_Earlier that evening_

As everyone hurried into the living room to tell Pinako about the afternoon, you headed up the stairs, shivering as you felt someone's gaze on your back. Practically flying down the hall, you came to the door of the room you'd been staying in, fumbling with the doorknob. Finally opening it, you quickly shut it behind you, wishing it had a lock.

_Aka, CHILL! Look at yourself, you can't even keep still!_ You thought to yourself angrily. But in another part of your mind, you were scared. Scared as hell.

_Scared of **what**? _You asked yourself, trying to regain your composure. _You don't even know if he's...well you don't even know it's him! Stop being a sissy and calm down!_

Sitting on the bed, you forced yourself to slow your breathing. Eventually, your face became calm, and your eyes were no longer fearful. Taking a deep breath, you fished your bag out from under the bed, carefully unzipping it. Tossing some clothes out of the way, you took out a parcel that had been carefully wrapped in cloth and held together with some string. Untying the knots, you slipped the cloth off of the parcel, revealing the black frame Ed had given you underneath.

The words 'Never Forgotten' shined as light hit them, illuminating them in a peaceful manner. You looked down at the picture, where Hojo was smiling up at you, dressed in his military uniform. Tracing your finger around the outline of the frame, you closed your eyes, thinking about how you had lived with Hojo. The farm...the chores...the fields...the schoolwork...even his smile. It had only been two months, and yet, so much had happened since then. You'd met the Elrics, run away from Trezanga, become a state alchemist, and came close to death more times than you wanted to count.

And even though it hadn't been very long, the pain from the day Hojo had died was beginning to fade, making you feel happy, and at peace. Even Ed had noticed it, he'd said so himself. You owed most of it to him actually. He and Al had been the first real friends you'd ever had, the first people other than Hojo you'd ever trusted. With their help, you were finally learning what it was like to just be _happy._

And now this. You felt a stab of pain enter your body, too real to not hurt. You shivered, thinking of the man who was just downstairs. Talyor. Just seeing his face brought you back to that day, made you remember every detail. The rain, the gunshot, Hojo's face...and _him._ You were hoping with all of your heart that you were wrong, but deep down, you knew it was probably true.

If you were right...then Talyor was a lightning alchemist also, and one of the men who had killed your father.

* * *

You shook your head angrily. Why hadn't you thought of this before! Maybe it was the shock of killing the other assassins, or maybe you had just been too busy with the alchemy exam to think about it. But you'd never given the other assassin a second thought.

_I'm such a hippocrite! _You screamed at yourself, _All this time I've been swearing to everybody that I was going to find out why Hojo died, and here I am just ignoring one of the most important parts of the puzzle!_ You hugged the picture frame to your chest, gasping as it all came flying back to you...

_**BANG **_

_"Wh-why is he lying there...?" _

_"Jeez! You must be deaf kid! Didn't you here the shot? We shot him with a gun you idiot!" _

_"See, we're getting payed a lot of cash to make this guy disappear. And we don't like to turn down cash!" _

_"You're...so beautiful Aka...I love you...please...take care.."_

Another stab of pain hit you, worse than before. You winced, clutching your stomach. Why were you hurting so much? Curling yourself into a ball, you lay down on the bed. You were holding the frame so tightly you thought it would break. You just lay there, looking out the window. You heard the faint murmer of conversation, your name popping up a few times. But you didn't move, made no motion to get up. You just watched as the sky became dark with oncoming clouds. There was going to be a storm later.

"Hey Everybody!" You heard Ed yell, "CHOW TIME!" You thought for a moment, considering just staying where you were.

_Ed would probably come looking for me _You reminded yourself. Even though you were feeling really crappy right now, you couln't help but smile at Ed's obvious worry. _I probably don't deserve it_

Sitting up, you carefully put dyour picture on a nearby dresser and walked towards the door.

_If I'm right about Talyor, then that means the others might need my help_, You thought firmly, _And there's no way I can just stay up here and ignore that_ You paused in the doorway, looking back at your picture of Hojo.

"I won't give up Dad," You swore, "I promise."

* * *

You tried to reassure yourself as you walked down the stairs, but the sound of Talyor's voice almost made you lose it again. Taking a deep breath, you walked into the kitchen, noticing that everyone had stopped talking. Trying not to show how close to the edge you were, you quickly sat down, your mind whirling.

_Just play it cool, _You told yourself, _There's still a chance you're wrong, so just let everyone be happy and have dinner._

You almost sighed in relief as Ed sat down on your right- if anyone could keep you from losing it, it was him. You weren't so happy when you realized Talyor was on your left, his body less than a foot from yours. Your mind exploded, and you fought to keep your face straight.

Suddenly, you felt something squeezing your hand, and you glanced at Ed. He was looking at you with worry, you knew from his expression that he'd been worried all night.

_What if Talyor hurts him? _You suddenly thought. Your fear suddenly increased as horrific images went through your mind of what he might try to do to Ed. Everyone was talking, but you weren't really focusing on what they were saying. You felt Ed entwine his fingers with yours, and you desperately held on to the feeling, trying to just feel _normal_.

"You know, Aka's a state alchemist too Talyor." You heard someone say, but you couldn't tell who. You tried to focus, but felt distracted. You released your fingers from Ed's and tried to listen.

"Oh really?" Talyor way saying, "I've heard of your alchemy. Lightning, isn't it?" Your heart leaped into your throat as you remembered the lightning that had struck you, the burning sensation that had filled your entire body.

"Y-yeah." You stammered, trying to sound normal. Talyor went on talking.

"I can see why the military would make you a state alchemist. Lightning is a pretty powerful wepon, it actually hurt a friend of mine once." This time, you couldn't control it. Your eyes widened, your breath was caught in your throat. You knew what he was getting at. He wasn't talking about his friend getting _hurt_ by lightning, Talyor was referring to the assassin who had been _killed_ by lightning.

_IT IS HIM! _Your mind screamed, _AND HE KNOWS IT WAS ME!_ Your vision became blurry- you were pushing your limits. Quickly standing up, you tried to make a quick excuse.

"I'm sorry." You blurted out, feeling light-headed, "But I'm not very hungry." Then you ran, ran as fast and as hard as you could. You ran out of the house, out into the dark storm that threatened to start at any minute. Your mind twisted and turned with thoughts and memories.

_What am I doing? _You asked yourself, _I just left everybody in the same room as a murderer_! You stumbled, trying to turn around, but just then, another shot of pain coursed through your body. Wincing, you stumbled, falling sideways. You pushed your palms against the ground, trying to get up, but your muscles wouldn't react.

_I'm a murderer too..._ You suddenly thought. Giving up, you just lay there, your eyes staring at the grass. A raindrop landed on your face, but you could barely feel it.

_What's happening? _You thought, _Why do I feel this way? _

You felt so weak, so vulnerable. You wished Hojo were here. You wished you were stronger. You wished that Ed would be alright. You wished that they all would be alright.

_What can I do? _You asked yourself, _I tried facing him, and I failed. I tried running away and I failed. Isn't there something I can do?_

"AKA!" You heard a yell. You couldn't even recognize it, your head felt so fuzzy...

You felt your body being lifted upwards, but you couldn't feel anyone touching you. You blinked, trying to figure out what was going on. Ed's face swam into view, his golden eyes staring down at you, full of concern. You reached out to him with trembling hands, weakly pulling yourself into his chest, burrowing your head in it. Ed pulled you closer with his good arm, laying his head on top of yours.

"It's okay Aka." He said softly, "Just relax. I won't give up on you, I promise."

* * *

----> cliffie! been i while since i've been cruel and left it hangin like that. gotta do that more often...

me? cruel? never  
-zago


	25. Not The Same Power

see? i'm updating again! don't get mad! btw, playing naruto: clash of ninja between updates. short game, but freakin awesome. if anybody out there has a group of friends who like naruto and video games, it's a good buy.

am i getting paid to say that? i wish. i'm broke.

so don't sue me. i'm broke.

**_

* * *

_**

_**Recap-** Talyor is one of the assassins who killed her dad! And there's something wrong with Aka... _

**Start- Ed's POV-**

Aka clung to your shirt, her eyes closed and her breath coming in small gasps. You held her tighter against her with your one good arm, wishing you had the other to hold her with.

"Aka..." You coaxed softly, "What's wrong? Please...let me help." You felt her trying to push away from you and quickly released her waist, only to grab it again as she almost fell over. Leaning down, you pressed your forehead against hers, pleading her with your eyes to let you help her.

"Who is Talyor?" You asked softly, taking a stab in the dark. Though, from her previous actions, it was pretty clear that Talyor was the source of her problems. Aka opened her mouth to speak, letting out a shuddering gasp as she did.

"A-assassin." she choked out, so quietly that you almost didn't hear it. You studied her face for a moment, trying to realize what she was talking about. Then, your eyes widened as reality hit you harder than Winry's wrench. (_snicker_)

"You're telling me _he's_ one of the-?"

"That's right." A voice interrupted. Straightening, you looked up to see Talyor standing a few feet away. Al, Winry and Pinako were running out of the house.

"STAY AWAY!" You yelled as loud as he could, "GO BACK!" The three of them stopped running and stared at you, trying to figure out what was going on. But a few questions were answered when Talyor pulled a gun out of his shirt pocket. Winry brought a hand to her mouth in horror and Pinako took a step back, keeping her eyes on the gun. Al stepped protectively in front of them, crouching in a fighter's stance.

"Go ahead and try to shoot me." He dared, looking straight at Talyor. But Talyor just chuckled.

"Do you think I didn't learn anything the first time? I still have you to thank for this gimpy leg." He said, lifting his right leg slightly. Al's body straightened a bit as he heard these words.

"Wait- you're-?"

"Jeez, why does everyone seem so surprised?" Talyor asked. "I wasn't even wearing a disguise, but she's the only one who even recognized me!" He said looking at you and Aka. "Now I remember why I hated you little brats." He continued, sneering at you. You glared back and held Aka a little tighter.

"Cut the crap- what do you want?" You yelled. Talyor shook his head.

"Honestly Elric," He said, "Doesn't anything reach that hard skull of yours?" He asked, "Your girlfriend there killed my friend!"

"You killed her Dad!" You yelled back. "And at least she didn't do it on purpose!"

"Oh yeah, that lightning just lightning just poofed up out of nowhere." He snarled, pointing the gun at you. "She killed my friend, so now I'm gonna kill her." You gritted your teeth.

"How do you expect to take down two state alchemists? You asked. Talyor just smirked.

"On the contrary, I was only supposed to take down one, but since she's here, I'll just kill her too."

"Wait- you were after Ed first? Why?" Al asked from behind Talyor. Talyor glanced back at him and shrugged.

"Your brother's getting too nosy." He said, "My orders are to finish up where Scorpulus left off."

"How do you know Scorpulus?" You demanded. Talyor smirked, shaking his head.

"Now now Elric," He said, "If I just told you, I wouldn't have the pleasure in seeing that little brain of yours trying to think."

"WHO YOU CALLIN-" You started, ready to break into one of your famous fits but broke off when you heard Aka start to cough violently. You stopped yourself, looking at her in worry. "Aka...?" You asked, but she went on coughing. Eventually, they stopped, but now her breath was even more ragged than before.

"Ahh...I see the poison is taking affect. About time." You heard Talyor say. Whirling around, you glared at him with as much hate as you could muster.

"What poison?" You demanded. Talyor chuckled.

"I knew that I wouldn't be able to go after you if she was...able to fight. So I got all those cows riled up and _suggested_ that Winry could fix the lock."

"But how could you have poisoned Aka?" Al asked, confused. Talyor flashed him an evil grin.

"Simple. I shot the injection into her arm when she jumped on the fence. She was too stupid to notice."

"That's because she was too worried about the people you were endangering you jackass!" You yelled, totally pissed at this guy. "What exactly did the poison do?"

"Oh, don't worry." Talyor sneered, "It won't kill her, I'll do that myself."

"Like hell you will." You growled, carefully laying Aka down on the ground. "Stay here." You told her softly before standing up. Stepping forward, you kept a fixed gaze on Talyor.

"Well well," Said Talyor, "Look who's trying to be brave. Too bad you're too short to be intimidating."

"To hell with being intimidating!" You yelled, running forward. Talyor tried to whip out his gun, but you got there too fast and grabbed his wrist, driving your shoulder into his ribs. Talyor let go of the gun, giving you the chance to chuck it as far away as you could. Staggering backwards, Talyor glared murderously at you.

"You little son of a bitch." He growled, charging at you. You tried to defend yourself, but was caught off balance by your lack of arm. Talyor kneed you in the gut, bringing his elbow down hard across your back. You coughed, feeling his hand grip the back of your shirt. In one easy move, he had thrown you five feet, forcing you to land at Al's feet.

"Brother!" Al yelled, kneeling down and helping you sit up. You turned to look at Talyor and felt your face pale when you saw him rolling up his sleeves...revealing transmutation circles tattooed onto his wrist.

"Just my luck." He was saying, "If this storm hadn't shown up, my alchemy would be useless...Oh well, luck is luck. Now...do I strike you one at a time? Or do I just let you all burn together?"

"You...you monster." Winry whispered. Talyor just smiled.

"I've decided, He said in an excited voice, "That you'll all die together!" With a maniacal laugh, he streached his hands towards the sky, causing the circles on his wrist to glow a dull white. Your eyes widened as lightning fluttered across the sky, shooting into Talyor's hands.

Your mind whirled as you tried to think of a way out of this, but there was no answer. No time to get away, no way to use alchemy. Even if you could make a transmutation circle, it wouldn't be powerful enough. You could only look away as you saw Talyor release the lightning from his hands. You gritted your teeth, bracing yourself for an impact...but felt nothing.

Instead, you saw a flash of light from over your shoulder. Looking up, you saw something that made you smile. A flickering red wall of light was in front of you, with small red sparks dancing around it.

"What the- YOU BITCH!" Yelled Talyor, turning around. You looked to, and saw that Aka was trying to stand up, her knees wobbling.

"Don't...don't act so surprised." She said, her voice strained, "I'm...the Spark Alchemist..." she continued, "and I won't let...you use the same...power...that I have...to hurt my friends."

* * *

**Aka's POV-  
**Your legs felt like jelly, and your headache was bad enough to rival a hangover.

_Shut it Aka, _You scolded yourself, _Talyor said the poison wouldn't kill you, so stop worrying about it, worry about the others._

You still couldn't belive that you'd actually been able to get a shield up that fast, but then again, you'd had the Elric Brothers as your teachers.

_Gotta pay 'em back somehow. _You thought, surprised a bit at your own good mood. _Oh well_, You thought, dismissing it, _At least no one can say I have a bitchy mood during fights._

"You're just an amateur!" Talyor yelled, interrupting your thoughts, "I've been using lightning for years!"

"Time's got...nuthin to do with skill!" You yelled back, "And if you had it for...so long...why did you do such...crappy things with it?"

"Shut up!" Talyor yelled, "I won't take this kid of disrespect from a bratty little kid!" Your eye twitched. **Little**. Sighing, you made a fist with your hand, punching the air. Red lightning came out of nowhere, striking your fist. Now it glowed with a reddish color. Bringing your arm down, you smirked, drawing it back.

"I'm...not as little...as I used to be." You said, punching in the direction of Talyor. A red ball of electricity flew out, tackling Talyor in the stomach. He let out a cry and fell backwards, clutching his stomach.

You dropped your fist, the glow subsiding. With wobbly steps, you made your way over to where Talyor was lying. Ed and the others were gathered 'round as well. Ed quickly strode towards you.

"Ed-" You started to say, but stumbled forward, falling into his body. He quickly wrapped his arm around your waist, making sure you didn't' fall.

"S'okay Aka." He said softly, "You can rest now." You turned your head to look at Talyor's body.

"Is- is he-?"

"Chill Aka, he's still alive." Ed said, smiling at your concern. "You just knocked him out."

"What'll happen to him?" You asked softly. Ed shrugged.

"Resimbool doesn't have much of a police, but they'll be able to send him to a place that does."

"Okay," You said, "Then let's go."

"No way."

"But-"

"Aka, you're still poisoned! You need rest, let me take care of this. I kinda owe ya one for saving my life anyways."

"But you've-" You tried again, but was interrupted again, this time by Ed's mouth covering yours. Your eyes widened, but then closed as you melted into him. Ed pulled back, leaning his forehead against yours.

"What do you know." He said with a smirk, "It's fun _and_ it shuts you up." You blushed, dimly noticing that Al was walking towards you two.

"Here." Ed said, pushing you towards his brother, "Make her rest, and don't let her get up while I'm gone."

"Right." Al said playfully, scooping you up into his arms.

"A-Al! You-you...traitor!" You stammered, still having trouble talking. Al just ignored you and walked into Winry's house, going upstairs to your room. Gently laying you on the bed, he chuckled as you squirmed under the covers, trying to get out.

"Please Aka," He said, "You really do need rest." You growled and stopped, pouting up at him. Al sighed, walking out. But he stopped in the doorway, glancing back at you.

"You know..." He said, "I bet your dad would be really proud of you." You blinked in surprised and looked at him, but he was already gone, his metal footsteps echoing down the hall. You smiled and sat up, ignoring the screaming pain in your stomach. Reaching over to the dresser and turning your frame so that it faced you. Studying Hojo's face for a few minutes, you thought about something he'd said once.

_"You know Aka, I don't think it matters how much or how little time we have to live. I think we just have to do the best we can with what we have."_

Still smiling, you snuggled (dammit, i just can't find another word for it. gotta get a thesaurus)under the covers, your head drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**Ed's POV-**  
You and Pinako were walking back from Resimbool's 'Police Station,' where they'd taken Talyor as prisoner and promised to send him to a jail controlled by the Military. You thought it sounded like a good idea, and mentioned that he probably shouldn't be let outside until the storm passed.

The house came rolling into view, just in time too. The clouds had ceased their raining after you and Pinako left the police station, but now it was threatening a downpour. Lightning flashed briefly across the sky, and you realized just how much it looked like one of Aka's attacks.

Going inside, you saw that Al and Winry were sitting at a table, talking. You wanted to go up and check on Aka, but was stopped by Pinako. "Edward, I have a question." She said, "And I expect you to answer it. You too, Alphonse." You looked at Al in surprise. Pinako usually gave you space on questions about yourself, but she was kinda like your aunt, so you figured you might as well answer.

"Ask away." You said, shrugging. Winry leaned forward in her chair as Pinako took her pipe out of her mouth, looking at you seriously.

"Who is Aka?"

"Huh?" You and Al asked simultaneously.

"You heard me." Pinako said, "I want to know who this girl is, how you met her, and why she's with you." You stared at her before sighing.

"Her real name's Akari." You started, "She's from a town called Trezanga..." With the help of Al, you explained how her dad had been a state alchemist, and how he had adopted her. You told them how Aka's father had been murdered by Talyor and another man, whom Aka had accidentally killed with her new power. You then explained how you and Al had taken her to Central and trained her to become a State Alchemist, and that she was traveling with the two of you so that she could solve the mystery as to why her father was killed and who killed him.

"...And from what Talyor said, it looks like we're beginning to get some answers." You finished, looking up. Winry was staring at you in shock, and Pinako had her head bowed, looking deep in thought.

"She...she told me that her dad died." Winry said softly, "But I never guessed...just how bad it was."

"That girl is stronger than I thought, to endure so much." Pinako said, looking up. "Now I understand why you're so willing to let her help you when you won't let us." You cringed, knowing that they wanted to help you as much as Aka did.

"It's...it's not that we don't want your help." Al said softly, "It- it's just so dangerous!" You nodded.

"I have to admit, I'm still not okay with Aka coming at all." You admitted, "But...we're all she has. And...well, I like how she put it better."

"Oh? How did she convince you to let her come with you?" Pinako inquired.

"She said that as long as the three of us are in danger, we could all be in danger together." Al recited. Winry smiled.

"That sounds like her." She said, "Aka's a really nice person- I'm glad she's traveling with you two."

"We appreciate your help too." You said, looking at them, "But we don't want to put you in danger when you're not."

"I understand boys. Now, the outline of your arm is all complete. Winry, how long do you think it'll take to finish?" Pinako asked. Winry looked thoughtful.

"Well, if I do some work tonight-"

"No way!" Al interrupted. The three of you looked at him in surprise.

"What's wrong Al?" You asked. Al looked down, you could sense he was embarrassed.

"I don't think Winry should stay up late just to work on your arm. We all need sleep! So...can't you wait till tomorrow?" He asked shyly. Winry blinked a bit before smiling broadly at him.

"Okay Al. You're right- I'll be able to finish it faster if I get my energy back." You looked back and forth from her to Al, confused out of your mind. What was going on?

"Well, goodnight kids." Pinako said, walking off.

"Yeah, night guys." Winry added, leaving as well. You looked at Al suspiciously as he watched Winry walk off.

"Hello? _Earth to Al!_" You said, waving your hand in front of his face. He jerked back, looking down at you.

"Wh-what?" He asked. You shook your head at him.

"Nevermind." You said, "Let's go to bed." Trudging up the stairs, you stopped in front of Aka's door in the long hallway.

"I'm gonna check on Aka real quick." You announced to your brother. He nodded and continued down the hall to where you and he were sharing a room. Turning back to Aka's door, you sighed and carefully pushed it open.

Peeking your head in, you saw that she was asleep, a mountain of covers over her small body. Walking in, you made your way to the side of her bed, looking down at her. Her face was a little pink, and she flinched every now and then. You frowned, worried. Talyor had said the poison wouldn't kill her, but you wondered if just sleeping would make it go away.

Turning to leave, a flash of light caught your eye. Looking at the side dresser, you saw the frame that you'd bought her was sitting on top of it.

_I almost forgot that I got her this. _You thought, picking it up. You'd never really gotten a good look at it before, so you studied it pretty carefully.

_He doesn't look very old, _You thought, _Either this is an old picture or he was really young when he adopted Aka. _You put the frame back on the dresser, trying to leave it exactly how she had it, and left the room.

But not without sending a last glance at the sleeping girl.

* * *

not enough fluffy? TOO BAD! aka's bedridden! jeez, and people say **_I'm _**a pervert...

don't say it  
-zago


	26. My Deathwish Update

ello everyone! how are you doing? good? TOO BAD! cause this update is gonna RUIN YOUR DAY!

but don't expect anything.

me? own FMA? i wish.

me? own a Wrangler? i wish.

me? own Aka? i wish...oh wait, that one's true.

* * *

"**OW**! Dammit Winry!"

Your eyes snapped open, revealing the pools of red underneath. You smiled at the sound of Ed's voice- who else could yell so loud? You sat up, noticing that you weren't in pj's. You frowned at this, wondering why you hadn't changed before going to bed. Then your eyes widened as you remembered what happened yesterday.

_Shit! _You thought, _Not something to forget Aka! _Frowning, you tried to get up, but quickly sat back down as your stomach lurched. _Oh yeah,_ You thought, _Poison. Again, how could I forget something like that?_ You shook your head at your own stupidity.

_That's what I get for fighting a freak from Resimbool. _You thought, smiling. _Ed's a lot stronger than that bastard though. Wait- Ed?...Wonder what he's up to...

* * *

_

**Ed's POV-**  
_Jeez, just how many 'methods' did Winry learn? _You thought scornfully, _Next time I break my arm, I'm gonna make sure she sticks to a more basic design _Winry had started on your arm right after breakfast, which Aka slept through, and was still working on it. You had asked her a few minutes ago how much longer it would take, and after throwing an assortment of various tools at you, she had said that she was putting on the finishing touches. You let your head slump to the table, groaning.

_Waiting is so boring._ You thought, closing your eyes. Hearing the door open, you looked up, hoping it was Winry coming to tell you she was done. It turned out to be something better.

"Aka!" You exclaimed, practically knocking your chair to the floor as you stood up. Aka smiled and walked over to you, poking your nose.

"What's with the face?" She asked, "Are you that happy to see me?" You smirked and leaned forward, capturing her lips with your own. Breaking off, you leaned your forehead into hers and smiled.

"Does that tell you anything?" You asked. She smiled, giving you a quick peck on the nose before stepping back.

"I'm starving." She said, "Is there anything to eat, or did you devour it all?" You rolled your eyes, wondering how someone could be so...nice one moment, and then turn annoying the next.

"Of course there's still food, do you want me to make you something?" You asked. Aka took a step back and put a hand to her mouth in mock surprise.

"And what, let you create some kind of monster-from-beyond-the-stove? I think I'll stick with a sandwich." She said, walking towards the pantry. But she stumbled, and you quickly grabbed her arm to keep her from falling. She turned around, and you could see that her face was a little flushed. Frowning, you pulled her over to the table and pushed her down in one of the chairs.

"Sit." You said sternly, "You're still sick from the poison." Aka just glared up at you.

"I can make a sandwich on my own, poison or not." She grumbled, trying to get up. You just shook your head and forced her down again.

"Just sit down already." You said, walking over to the pantry, "Now what do you want on your sandwhich?"

"Pickles, mustard, tomatoes, cheese, onions, peanut butter, olives, chicken and ketchup." She said, grinning. You looked away from the pantry to glare at her.

"You don't eat all of that."

"Well I am now." She retorted, sticking your tongue out at you.

"You've gotta be kidding- that sandwich would be bigger than you are!" You said, then quickly ducked as a pear was hurled at your face, followed by an onslaught of fruit. "CUT IT OUT!" You yelled, ducking behind the door to defend yourself.

"What's going on and _why_ is my kitchen a mess?" Came a stern voice. Wincing, you looked around the door to see Pinako standing in the doorway of the kitchen, her arms folded.

"His fault!" Aka quickly said, pointing to you. You glared in return.

"Hey, I'm not the one throwing food!" You growled, pointing to the fruit on the floor. Pinako shook her head.

"I want both of you to pick those up and wash them- yes _both_ of you. Now get to it!" She said, turning around.

Before you could say anything, Aka was on her knees and picking up the fruit she had thrown. You sighed, kneeling down to help her. She glanced at you, as if daring you to make her back off again, but you said nothing this time.

"How's your arm coming?" She asked. You shrugged.

"Winry keeps saying it's almost done, but then she changes her mind and does something weird with it." You said, shaking your head, "If this keeps up, she'll have jewels studded in the damn thing..."

The two of you quickly soaked the fruit in water, scrubbing them clean. Just as you were finishing up, you heard Winry walk in.

"What's the news?" You asked. Winry grinned and put her hands on her hips.

"It just so happens that you're about to receive the finest piece of automail in the world." She said. You rolled your eyes.

"Yeah, and I'm going to pay more for it than any other automail in the world." You said.

"Hey Aka, do you wanna watch- Aka?" You looked around, but Aka seemed to have disappeared.

"Did you see where she went?" You asked Winry. She shook her head.

"I didn't even see her when I came in. But I'm glad she's well enough to come downstairs." She said. You nodded.

"Yeah, me to. Anyway- where's the arm?"

"Oh, it's on my workbench. I'll go get it." Winry said, popping out of the kitchen. You followed her, a little eager to see your new arm.

Winry's workbench was located in a special room of the house designed specifically for working on automail. You glanced around, recognizing some of the tools hung on the walls as ones you and Al had bought for her.

"Uh-oh." You suddenly heard. Turning your attention back to Winry, you noticed she was looking in several directions.

"What's wrong now?" You asked, although you had a bad feeling you already knew. Sure enough, the next thing out of Winry's mouth was:

"I can't find the arm."

* * *

"What do you mean?" You cried, "Where else would it be?"

"I don't know!" Winry yelled back, "I just know it's not here!" You groaned, running a hand through your bangs.

"This is turning into a real shitty visit." You muttered. Dropping your hand, you glanced around the room and sighed.

"Well, it can't be too hard to find. You start searching that side of the room and I search this side."

"Right." Winry said, nodding. Walking over to a corner of the room, you pushed aside some boxes, trying the most obvious places first.

_This isn't very easy to find_, You thought, _With all these tools here and all. You can barely go five inches without seeing something metal. _You searched for a bit longer before sighing and standing up.

"I'm not finding anything Winry." You announced. Winry was rubbing the back of her head, looking deep in thought.

"I just don't understand where it could have gone." She said, "I could've sworn I left it right on the bench..."

"Are you sure you didn't take it to another part of the house?" You offered. Winry shook her head.

"No, but I guess we might as well look. I doubt it's here anymore." She said, closing the lid of a box she had been shifting through. You were about to leave, but looked back at her suspiciously.

"Do I get a refund if you lose it?" You asked, then quickly ran out as she began to pick up heavy-looking tools.

_If she was paying as much as I am, she'd ask too/_ You thought, trying to console yourself. Entering the living room, you kneeled down and started looking under the furniture.

"Did you lose something brother?" Came a sudden voice, making you jump and hit your head on the couch you'd been under.

"Ow..." You murmured, bring your head out from under the couch and rubbing it.

"Sorry brother, I didn't mean to surprise you." Came a voice from above. Looking up, you saw Al standing there, holding out a hand to help you up. You grinned and took it, pulling yourself off the floor.

"Not your fault- I should've noticed you when you came in. You're not exactly inconspicuous." You said. Al laughed a little.

"That's true. But, why was your head under the couch?" He asked. You sighed and scratched your head, glancing around.

"Winry finished my arm, but now we can't find it." You told him, looking around the room. "You haven't seen it, have you?"

"No, I think I'd recognize something like that." Al said. Just then, Winry walked in.

"Any luck?" She asked you. You shook your head. Winry sighed, shaking her head. "I just don't understand it." She said, "I asked Grandma if she did anything with it, but she says she hasn't seen it since yesterday when she was working on it. What do you think happened to it?"

"Dunno...have you looked upstairs yet?" You asked. Winry looked at you oddly.

"Well...no, but...why would it be up there?" She asked, looking at you as if you'd turned purple. You threw up your hand(s) in defeat.

"I don't know! But it wasn't in your toolshed, so from now on I'm labeling all rooms as suspicious!" Winry stared at you for a moment before shrugging.

"Alright, you and Al go check upstairs. I'll check the kitchen. Tell me if you find anything."

* * *

"This is just our luck, you know that?" You told Al as the two of you walked up the stairs.

"I'm sure we'll find it brother," Al replied, "After all, it's not something we're unfamiliar with."

"Yeah, that's for sure." You scoffed. Truth be told, having automail was becoming more and more a second nature to you. But you still wanted your old arm and leg back.

"I'll check in here brother." Al said, pointing to a door to your left. You glanced at it and nodded.

"Okay, I'll go check our room." You answered, walking down the hallway to your door. You were about to enter when you heard quick footsteps behind you. You turned around just in time to see the door to the room Aka was staying in shut.

_I wonder if she's seen my arm, _You thought, _Doubt it, but better ask her anyway._

Retracing your steps, you opened her door and poked your head in. You couldn't see much, but you could see Aka sitting at a small table within the room, holding some playing cards in her hand. She looked up and smiled when you opened the door.

"Hey Ed." She greeted, "Something wrong?"

"Yeah, the arm Winry was working on went missing. You seen it?" You asked. Aka shook her head.

"No, I've been playing cards with Al. Do you want me to look for it?"

"No, that's okay." You said, "Don't push yourself."

"Okay, but come tell me when you find it." She said, smiling again.

"I will." You promised, smiling back. Closing the door, you walked down the hall back to you and Al's room. Just as you were about to enter, you heard a voice behind you.

"Did you find anything brother?"

Turning, you saw Al coming down the hall. You shook your head, then suddenly stopped, staring at him.

"Where were you?" You suddenly asked. Al jerked back, surprised.

"I was looking in that one room, remember?" He answered, pointing to the door he'd gone in earlier. "Weren't you searching the room?"

"No, I was talking to Aka. But she said she was playing cards with-" You broke yourself off, thinking.

_Wait a sec- Aka was playing cards...but if it wasn't with Al...then who else has a metal-_

"Brother...?" Al asked cautiously as your face began to turn red.

**"AKA!"

* * *

**

Practically throwing Al out of your way, you stormed down the hall. Coming towards Aka's room, you saw her make a desperate attempt to run out, but you seized her arm before she could reach the stairs.

"Oh no you don't." You growled, tugging her arm, "You're comin with me."

Pushing the door to Aka's room open, you pulled her inside. Looking over at the table, you saw the abandoned hand of cards that Aka had left on one side, and a metal arm propped up on the other side to make it look like it was holding a hand also. You glared at Aka, who looked like she was trying not to laugh.

"This isn't funny!" you yelled. She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it as a fit of giggles came out. "CUT IT OUT!" You yelled. But Aka just kept laughing. Growling, you pushed her down on the bed and strode over to the table. Snatching up your arm, you tore the cards out of it and flung them at Aka as you stomped to the door.

"Ed- wait!" Aka suddenly said, leaping up and grabbing the wrist that was still holding your metal arm.

"Let go." You said in a low voice, trying to yank your wrist out of her hands. But she held on tightly.

"Just please wait. I'm- I'm sorry Ed, I didn't mean to make you mad! It was just a joke, I didn't mean to-"

"A joke? This isn't a joke! Now let go!"

"Ed- please-"

"I said _let go!_" You yelled, snapping your wrist back at her. But you'd forgotten you were still holding the arm, and didn't realize it until it snapped back with your wrist and hit Aka in the face.

You watched in horror as the metal met her skin, the force of the blow sending her to the floor. She sat there for a moment blinking, the side of her face turning red. Then, with a trembling hand, she lifted her hand up to touch her face, wincing as her fingers met the skin. Her face tilted upwards to look at her, her red eyes wide in surprise.

You stumbled backwards, horrified as to what you had just done. Then, tearing your eyes away from her face, you threw the arm down and ran down the stairs, passing a surprised Al and Winry. You heard them calling after you, but didn't slow down, just ran out of the house.  
_  
What the hell have I done?

* * *

_

oh crappers. you guys are gonna kill me, huh? well- you know what? all good stories need a little drama!

i'm still dead, aren't i?  
-zago


End file.
